Purple Flowers and Blue Grass
by Sika'sheart
Summary: Join Briar in his journey to reunint with his love, Sandry. Can he overcome all odds and doubt? Will Sandry want to be with him?
1. Never Apart

**Desclaimer: the characters are not mine. they belong completely to Tamora Pierce. i just love her stories.**

**Purple Flowers and Blue Grass**

**Chapter one: Never Apart**

**Sandry-**

**Lady Sandrilene was fumed. How could he have done that to her? He promised she was the one and only one, but then... but then he... well, he, _Oh_, she didn't even want to _think_ about it. _Briar! _That name made her want to spit in _disgust_! How much she now hated him when just an hour age, _just an hour ago!_, she had loved him so much.**

**Just two months ago Sandry had finally lost her patience with him, she was so sick of waiting for him to realize his feelings for her. Her mutterings of _uvami_,the trader word for patience, no longer helped. She had marched up to Briar, on the second day in Storm Moon (it was raining of course), as he worked in his garden on number Six Cheesemen Street, grabbed him by the arm, and... kissed him like there was no tomorrow and after a moment or so he had kissed her back. Since that day they had been a couple, always together and never apart. They were never seen without each other (except maybe in the bathhouses and the privy) , in the garden Sandry would sew, embroider, or whatever as Briar pulled up weeds in his garden, in Sandry's study as she worked on a complicated spell for Pasco, Briar would skim through a book occasionally asking questions about what the spell was supposed to be used for. In two weeks time, on a rainy Earthsday, while Tris was at the Citadel talking books with His Grace and Daja was in Winding Circle helping Frostpine with a project, Sandry had given up her virginity to Briar. By the end of Carp moon, Briar had been getting ready to propose.**

**He finally did, he invited Sandry to dinner at a local inn on the middle of Seed month. They went to the Cessna inn, their favorite haunt (the four, that is) since they had all gotten back from Namorn, for dinner and it was like any other night that she never suspected he was planning on proposing. After dinner they decided to go for a walk. For many minutes the four of them, Sandry's two guards Kwaben and Oama were following a good distance behind not so far behind that if their Lady Sandry were attacked they wouldn't be able to help, but not so close they could hear what was being said between the two young mages, walked along in silence.**

**Holding her small hand in his larger calloused one, he pulled her down onto a bench. "Sandry so much is against us," he had started out, Sandry's cornflower blue eyes lost the glitter ass she began to think Briar was going to break off their relationship, "our classes, the color of our skin, hell, even our own magic," he pulled Sandry a little closer to her body, "but frankly I don't care." Briar slipped off the bench and got on his knees before her. "Will you be _my_ Duchess? Forever?" he pulled a ring out of his pocket, an engagement ring. It was a gold band with two stones, one yellow and the other green, attached closely together and the setting holding them there were tiny briars. "Will you marry me?"**

**Sandry had shrieked, threw her arms around Briar, sending them both to the ground, and, while kissing his face, shouted _Yes!_ over and over again. Briar stood up, bringing Sandry with him and twirled her around in circles, both laughing happily and hysterically.**

**Back in the present Sandry pulled the engagement ring on and off her finger, twirling it around every now and then. It seems she will never be able to say 'I Do' to Briar. Suddenly, overcome with sadness, Sandry collapsed onto her bed in tears. Sandry ripped the beautiful ring off of her finger and hurtled it against the wall. It rolled to the base of the door. Where the green stone cracked.**

**"_Sandry_!" Briar called through the door. The doorknob rattled, he wanted to come in. "I _know_ you're in there! We need to talk!" his voice cracked at the last two words.**

**A burning anger filled Sandry's stomach, like no anger before. _How could he?_ Sandry thought. _How could he come _here_, to her _home_, and demand to talk to her after he had gotten that… that… _girl_ pregnant? How can he act like they can still be together?_**

**Briar –**

**Briar reclined on his bed hours later after knocking on Sandry's bedroom door and getting no answers. He knew why she didn't want to. Knowing Sandry she thought Clover was pregnant with _his_ child. She wasn't, he had never even slept with her. They were only friends. What Sandry didn't know is that she was the first girl he had slept with in two years since they got back from Namorn. It was then that he had realized he was in love with Sandry.**

**On the way back Tris and Daja decided that Sandry shouldn't be alone because of Shan, Briar growled in disgust (Briar still wanted to kill him for ever hurting Sandry, both in her heart and her dignity), they thought it best if Briar and her shared a room (they later found out it was a ruse to get them together) because of the _Shakkan _tree that pulls Briar out of a deep sleep via it's magic and his special blend of plants that pull even the deepest sleeper out of sleep. Briar found himself staying up late at night to hear her breath and pondering late into the night what makes Sandry smell so desirable. Briar had mentally slapped himself and went to trim his _shakkan_. When, on some nights, Sandry started to murmur in her sleep about the unmagic incident she was in, Briar had longed to go over and kiss those tears off of her face. Cursing both himself and the people who doubled her fears of the dark, Briar forced himself to sleep. It took him two years to realize that Sandry felt the same. He didn't tell her because he was a coward, but she… she wanted him to realize it without help. Briar could kill himself for making her wait as long as he did, but he was too happy he finally _had_ her. And all that was ruined with one plea of help from a scared pregnant girl, named Clover.**


	2. Clover's Plea

Purple Flowers and Blue Grass 

**Disclaimer**: The Circle universe doesn't belong to me, the characters are too _nice_!

**Author's note**: anything in (_parenthesis like this_) are Clover's thoughts in the "present", not my own. Please review to tell me if you like it or not and why you did or didn't. Harsh words are the kindest words! Oh and if you own Street Magic could you please tell me the girl's name. I don't own it., whenever I go book shopping it's sold out, _everywhere_!

Chapter 2: Clover's Plea

Four hours ago:

It was a hot spring day, the sun burning brightly down from the sky, with not a cloud in sight, the type of day that would have children by the harbor jumping into the waters below; the date was the fifth of Goose. Clover, a twenty year old pregnant woman with cropped black hair and brown eyes and eastern brown skin, wearing a loose cotton gray dress, found herself lost in Summersea, sitting on the fountain in the middle of the busy and bustling market place, her husband, Liam, had abandon her when his family had threatened to leave them nothing if he stayed with her, so he was gone. She was stuck in a strange city with no friends, no money, and no place to stay. She was alone like she was in Chummar. But she hadn't really been alone there she had a mage named Briar on her side. At least he had come to help her, when she had been attacked… by her own gang.

Unbidden memories of her time in the gang came into her mind. Once when they had been attacked, by their rival gang, Briar, a plant mage, had come and taken care of their injuries, barking at the uninjured to boil water or clean this or that. The reason her gang had gone to him was because he himself had once been on the streets. Eventually that gang had beaten hers and they had joined them, She had gotten her nose pierced and everything, but it wasn't meant to last, which Clover thanked the gods each and every morning and night. The Lady had wanted Evvy, a powerful stone mage not to mention Briar's student, and the only way she could get her would be to distract Briar. The gang had, well, they had (_excuse the cliché_, Clover thought to herself or the gods or whoever) ganged up on her, put some kind of weird potion on her tongue so she couldn't talk and had beaten her up horribly. Two of her old gang had gone to Briar and begged him to come and check her out, saying they didn't trust no one else and she was beaten bad. He had agreed, putting some kind of barriers (_I think he wrads or werds_, she thought, breaking, again, through her memories)around the doors and windows, only missing one, the roof door. When he had put that bad tasting stuff on her tongue that restored her ability to talk, she had warned him. She had shouted, _'They want to take your Evvy'_. Instead of him hurrying off to Evvy, he had taken care of her before leaving her, not being able to convince her to allow him to take her to a healer ( _Didn't he mention something about a girl? Sandy? or something like that? Well, he had _defiantly _muttered something about that girl being able to force her to go_, Clover said raking a hand through her hair). She had left Chummar and went to work with her aunt. She, no longer liking her gang name, changed her name to Clover, sort-of as a memoir of Briar and what he had done for her as a clover was a plant. She had worked _hard _for _years_, had saved enough money and bought a house and a dog only to have it all dashed away from one look from a noble man. She, being the foolish girl that she was, had fallen in love with the _noble_ ( _noble my ass_!) of Emelan, gotten married, and gotten pregnant, but when they had arrived at his estate twenty miles north of Summersea, his parents, mostly his _mother_, had expressed extreme… (_what would be a good word_?)… _disappointment_ that he had married, well their, meaning his mother's, exact words were, 'a nauseating piece of _filth_!' They had threatened to leave him none of their money or lands unless he annulled their marriage. He had taken her to Summersea, saying his parents will accept it after a few nights of good sleep, but only hours (_Hours_!) that they had arrived here he had taken her to the courthouse showed them their marriage papers, spoke _loudly_ and _boastfully_ for all to hear as he got it sang out that their marriage was over. Liam made her, _made her_, sign the papers forcefully. She still had the bruises on her wrist as he forced her to write her married name _and_ her maiden name. When she arrived at their inn, she found her things being held by the keeper with a smug look on his face (_seems Liam told everyone besides me that we were getting an annulment._) as he thrust the clothes and what other personals she had into her arms. Giving her a broad smile ha had giving a mock bow and a murmur of _"MiDirtily"_!

She ran to the market place where she now sat, crying for an hour. People who had passed her gave her small pats on the back and murmured words of comfort, Clover too upset didn't notice. Clover remembering the pain Liam had caused her got caught up in fresh waves of pain and started to cry once more.

"What is wrong?" came a girl's (_educated_, Clover noticed) voice from in front of her. Clover looked at the girl from the cracks of her fingers. She looked into the face of a ten-year-old girl (_how does a ten year old sound so educated_?), with black curls cascading in waterfalls down her back and kind, sympathetic brown eyes. he was wearing a light blue dress with white lace around her collar (_she's rich that's how she sounds educated. Her parents probably bought the best tutors money could buy_, Clover rubbed her stomach protectively, _I wish I could do the same for my baby_, she sighed wistfully before turning her attention back to the child). "Are you hungry? 'Cause if you _are_…" the girl rummaged in her side pocket before pulling out a crumbly jelly roll. She grabbed Clover's hand, turned the palm up and slapped the roll into her hand. "Gorse made it, so it's good." the little girl burst into a bright smile. Clover looked down at the roll and up at the girl's smiling face and back again, bursting into laughter and tears at the same time.

"Glaki?" came another girl's voice, this one Clover half remembered.

"She's in trouble!" the girl, Glaki, called back towards the voice.

"_You_ betta be in trouble or Rosethorn will hang ya in the well." this time Clover was able to pinpoint where she had heard the voice before. As Briar had been setting bones he had been yelling at a girl, hi helper he had called her, to boil water. The girl, named Evvy, had grumbled under her breath about his silliness. The voice Clover was hearing today was the same girl's voice except more mature.

"Not _me_, her!" Glaki said pointing to Clover as Evvy, an Asian girl with black hair cut to her shoulders and slanted brown eyes, came into view.

"Hey I know _you_!" Evvy said, coming over to stand by Evvy and me

Clover smirked and stood up, "we met in Chummar."

"Don't remind me, but hey what are you doing here?"

"And how come you're so _big_!" Glaki asked.

"To answer both of your questions I'm foolish."

Glaki giggled, "_That_ doesn't answer our questions!" Clover sighed and shook her head. Glaki put her head at the side and looked at Evvy out of the corner of her eyes, "Is it?"

"Glaki, _go_!" Evvy said pointing the way she had come from, Glaki grumbling about a bird called lark and how she was going to tell her Evvy was being mean. "So, why _are_ you here?"

Clover looking at Evvy's kind caring face she burst straight back into tears telling her about Liam and how she came to be here. After the story was out the two of them sat side by side on the rim of the fountain in silence. "Briar." Evvy simply stated as children came and washed their sticky hands in the water.

"Huh?" Clover asked surprised.

"He lives in Summersea and he will happily help you." Clover shook her head no. "Go!" she pulled Clover to her feet and pulled her out of the market and onto a street. Half jogging and half running in front of her Evvy kept making complicated turns here and there. Finally Evvy stopped, "Down the street two blocks turn left, follow that street for a block and make another left, down that street near the end is Briar's house. Number six Cheeseman Street. Got to go Rosethorn is going to _kill _me." And without another word Evvy went back the way they had come, only stopping before her turn to wave good-bye.

"He won't help me," Clover looked around, she had no idea how to get back to the Market. Clover sighed and began to wander, eventually she would run into someone and she would be able to ask directions. But she didn't come across anyone before she reached the first turn, subconsciously turned down the street. She was in the rich section of the town, bigger houses and stores with more expensive wares. Clover snorted, "If he lives in this part of the city he _defiantly_ won't help _street trash_ like me. He would have changed from the boy he was to a rich man." With bitterness tinging her voice she went on, "everyone changes, whether that wanted to or not." Thinking of Liam again she turned left again and onto Cheeseman Street, it was closer to the citadel, only a five-minute ride away. These houses were even wealthier looking than the ones on the other street; there were no stores here at least not any that were advertised to the general public. Before she knew it she was in front of number six Cheeseman Street.

It was a comfortable looking house, even though it was in the wealthy section. There were four stories, basement, ground, second, and third/attic. The outside was whit washed, more human than the pink, green, and blue paints of their neighbors. The shutters were only varnished not painted (_seems Briar still likes simple things_) and all of them were opened to catch breezes (_actually it seemed like the breezes were pulled there! Nah, only a weather mage could do that and Briar's magic was with plants. Right_?). The grass was cut neatly and set at no pattern was flowers. There was a maple tree near the house almost, _almost_, covering a small forge built on. (_What does Briar need a forge for?_ Clover shook her head at her own foolishness. _The past owner must have had it built and he hadn't gotten around to taking it down_.) The path up to the front stairs wasn't a dirt one like Clover's was, but were odd shaped stones fitted together perfectly (_A stone mage like Evvy? Maybe even Evvy_.).

Clover, still not sure she wanted his help, started to walk up the path, she reached the door, varnished like the shutters. Clover stilled her beating heart and raised her hand to knock, and then she heard laughter from the back yard. Two people were laughing. Clover subconsciously recognized the one's as Briar's, his laughter, after he saved your life and the lives of your friends was hard to forget.

"Knock it _off_!" she heard him laugh out. "_Sandry_!" (_Sandry that was the name Briar had muttered long ago_.)

"Not till you admit you were _wrong_!" Clover began to make her way to the backyard. With each step she took, she was taken over with the sweet perfume of flowers. She sucked in a gasp when she stepped around the last corner of the house and into the garden. The garden was the most beautiful thing Clover had ever seen in her life. Flowers of every size and color were there, well except for orchards. Along the back of the house were shelves with thousands of _shakkan, _maple, oak, pine, fir, apple, peach, pear, chestnut, sycamore, dogwood, hazel, black locust, redwood, willow, walnut, birch, hickory, butternut, cedar, banana, palm, ash, gum, redbud, hemlock, spruce, larch, cherry, elm, mulberry, elderberry, orange, catalpa, coconut, elder, buckeye, magnolia, sassafras, seruice berry, hackberry, and mahogany, on them. Near the back, close to the small stable was a giant willow tree (_of coarse Briar would choose a house with a lot of trees, with his magic and all._) and sitting under, well more like laying under it, was Briar, a eastern skinned man with startling Gray/green eyes wearing a pair of brown breeches and a white under shirt, Clover noticed that his over shirt, a green one, with leaves embroidered on, was draped over a blueberry bush, with a girl about his age, long sun-streaked brown hair, tanned skin, and the bluest eyes ever seen, she was wearing a light blue gown that only enhanced the color of her eyes and she had no shoes on, was sitting on top of him, tickling him, debris of their long past midday around them.

"Ahem!" Clover called out uncertainly, with a small smile playing on her lips. The two lovebirds looked up, the girl with shock and anger (_because I'm from the hicks_?) written on her face jumped up and ran into the stables and after a few seconds passed the girl came barreling out on a brown mare, followed closely behind by two guards, one a woman and the other a man. Without saying good-bye to the man she had just been tickling she left. Briar sat calmly watching her go.

"So what'cha doing here? And how did you get her?" so, for the second time that day Clover went over her story this time making sure she didn't cry, she didn't want to make him think less of her than he would by her story. When she had finished telling Briar her story she stood looking at the ground in silence. She heard him sighed and heard him get up. He still didn't say anything and she still didn't look up at him. "Well, come on." She turned her eyes on him; he had his over shirt slung over his shoulder and the midday meal tucked in the crook of his elbow, much like how a mother would hold her baby and was standing by the backdoor leading into the house, he was beckoning her with his finger. He opened the door and ushered her in and stepped in, closing the door, behind her.

They were standing in a dark hallway the only light coming from beneath two of the three doorways in this hallway. He opened one and the two of them stepped into a bright kitchen where a redheaded woman wearing an apron over her sensible brown dress was cooking dinner. "Boy, pass me the dough."

"We have a guest," he said passing her the dough in need of kneading.

The redhead snorted. "Sandry doesn't count as a gu…" she left her sentence hanging when she saw Clover standing behind him. "_Daja_!" and the other door leading out of the kitchen burst open. A black girl stood there, she was wearing soot-streaked (_the forge belongs to her_?) clothing brown breeches like Briar and a brown tunic to match. "Look," she said, pointing to Clover, "what our boy has gone and done."

The black girl got angry, making her face blotchy. She looked ready to throw a butcher knife at him Briar with a wide smile on his face explained who she was and her situation and most importantly how he knew her. "Does Sandry know this?" she asked calming herself down. Clover, who had gripped Briar's arm in fright, stepped over to the two girls and shook their hands, as Daja and Briar talked. She tuned in at the end of their conversation to catch, "Go tell her, we'll take care of the girl." Briar flashed a quick smile at his two friends and rushed from the room. Clover distantly heard the back door slam and the sound of hoofs only seconds later.

"I'm Tris," the redhead said, "that's Daja. I'll bring you to your room, you'll clean up and come down to dinner, hopefully Briar won't be back by then." Clover opened her mouth to say something, but Tris cut her off, "tomorrow Daja will think of a job for you to do. Any questions?"

"Why did you think my baby was Briar's?" the two friends shared smiles.

It was Daja who answered. "When Briar first got back he… got around. He finally settled down with Sandry."

"About time too. We thought they would _never_ come to their senses. Now, _come_!" and without waiting for her she stepped out of the kitchen and into the dark hallway. "Remind me to ask Sandry to weave something for back her." Tris whispered to the pregnant girl. Tris opened the third door in the hallway; behind it was a stairway light from weavings.

"How?" Tris ignored her and continued up the stairs. Clover looked at the weavings on the wall, one was of a starling, another was of the harbor, and the third was of the market place. "Why a starling?"

"I had a starling when we were children." They stepped off at the second floor, more weavings, mostly of plants and animals, lit the way. On the floor was a red carpet with embroidering of leaves in green. Tris led her into the first door on the right; there were a total of four rooms on this floor. The room was whit washed like the outside. There was a single bed in this room, a dresser, a chest sat at the foot of the bed, and shelves were built along the walls. "I leave you to un pack. Briar's room is the last on the right, mine is the only room on the third floor and Daja's is the room by the back door." Clover opened her mouth to say something. Tris noticed and added, "When Sandry stays here she stays in Briar's room. They _are_ engaged to be married after all." Tris then left the room, calling as she closed the door. "The door on the left is the wash room." Clover sighed and sat down on her bed. She couldn't believe all that had happened to her today.


	3. Legands and Pirates

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, but to Tamora Pierce. Author's note: Do not read if you have a short attention Spam, chapter is extremely long. You learn a little more about Kwaben and Oama. Don't you think they'll make the cutest couple? Please review and tell me. Thanks to all who reviewed. Purple Flowers and Blue Grass 

Chapter 3: One Long Ride

**Sandry**-

She was stifled. She couldn't sleep she couldn't breath. She had to get out, had to ride her beautiful mare Russet. She was in her room at the citadel, the one she hadn't slept in for months, and it was six feet wide and eight feet long. On the far wall were windows that also acted as doors to her balcony. Her four-poster bed was on the left wall, with the hanging closet to the window partially closed so the sunlight didn't hit her in the face, even though she was most likely up by that time. Across from her bed was the wood wardrobe, five feet high; it had been extremely hard for the servants to bring in when she had been given it for her eighteenth birthday. By it was the door leading into her workshop, filled with a mannequin that now held her wedding dress, a white sleeveless gown embroidered around the edges with rose and briars, jewels decked the bottom hem of the gown, and bolts upon bolts of cloth, not to mention the weavings and embroidery hangings she had yet to get rid of. Sandry sighed at the thought of her wedding dress and at Briar, maybe she'll give him a chance to explain. She, lightly, hopped out of bed, slipped a robe over her nightgown, slipped the book she was currently reading into her pocket (_maybe she could stop some where and read a little more, when she gave Russet a break_) into a pocket in her robe, and picked up her riding boots. She tiptoed down the hall and down the stairs, pausing and holding her breath each time she heard a snore coming from a servant's room. She was in the main hall, a plain stone room with nothing but the grand staircase, some chairs for servants or visitors to sit on, and the weavings she had so far put up to make it seem more alive.

Sandry started to tiptoe to the giant doors leading outside when a flash of light caught her eyes; her eyes followed it subconsciously to her great uncle's study door. Anger coursed through her veins. How many times did she have to tell him not to work late? She quickly and, surprisingly, quietly stomped over to the door and pushed it open. It was a book-lined room, with a gigantic desk set in the middle, with a big chair behind it and two more in front. Set near the bay windows was a smaller version of his chair, with a little basket of embroidery underneath. Sitting behind the desk was her uncle, Duke Verdis the IV.

"_Uncle_!" Sandry scolded him, stepping into the room.

"You never cease to amaze me Sandrilene, dear," he said, placing the book down onto the table. She shot it an inquiring glance, like she suspected it to jump up and tear her uncle's heart out. He chuckled at the murderous look on her face, "I just, a moment ago, woke up. Tried to fall back asleep since I knew you would scold me, but try as I would I couldn't. So I came in here and took down a book that I have been meaning to read. For _pleasure_." He added knowing she would start scolding him if it had been otherwise. Sandry, upon her this, gave a bright smile and slipped into a chair in front of him. "Did you and Briar have a fight?" His Grace already knew the details from Briar, but he didn't want Sandry to know that. She slowly and sadly shook her head, looking at her lap and her boots, that she still held in her hands. "_Really_? You haven't spent a night home since you and Briar…" he purposely let his words hang in the air. She didn't say a thing and neither did he. He fiddled with his thumbs waiting, patiently, to answer.

"I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't waited as long as I did. That girl wouldn't be…"

"_Pregnant_?" His Grace suggested. Tears fell into her lap as she nodded. He wanted to tell her the truth so bad, but Briar had to be the one to or she wouldn't believe it. His Grace came over to his young niece and pulled her into a hug, taking some of the burden of young love off of her. "You want me to tie rocks to his feet and throw him in the harbor?" he asked, grimly after her cries had quieted, knowing she would say no. And true to his point she shook her head, smoothing her hair he whispered, "Go talk to him. He might surprise you as you have surprised me a thousand times over."

"_Maybe_." She admitted. Standing up she moved towards the door, only stopping before exiting to say one thing: "Go to bed Uncle. It's bad for your health to be listening to young people's troubles at this hour. Or _any_ hour for that matter." Closing the door behind her didn't cut off her Uncle's loud guffaw. "He'll wake the servants then I'll _never_ get out." Chuckling herself Sandry slipped through the oak doors and into the courtyard. There were the stables on the left side of it and on the right were the guard barracks. In between were flowers that had begun to be bloomed at all times, regardless to the time of day, because of Briar's near constant visits. Sandry did a quick jog over to the barracks to raise Kwaben and Oama before their midnight ride. She slip quietly in so as not to rouse anyone else. The barracks were separated into two different halves. The half on the right was for women and the half on the left for men. Sandry face lit with a wicked smile, she'll go wake Kwaben first, he was always so much fun to scare and when would she get another chance to catch him totally unawares like this again?

She slipped through the right door and into the men's side. She was in another hallway. There were several doors leading into small rooms shared by three or so men. There were no ornaments adorning the walls of the hallway, there were only some of Tris's light globes. Sitting at the far end of the hall on the floor were two guards playing cards. The two men, one a corporal and the other the captain, lifted hands in hello, not the least bit surprised by her presence. Sandry waved back to them and started down the hall to Kwaben's room.

His room was the third room down; near the side of the door was a bronze sign with Kwaben's and one other name written on it. The other name was, Alco Vito, the corporal's from down the hall. Smiling even more wickedly, she pushed open the door, as quietly as she could. There were two beds on opposite sides of the room. The far wall had one window. Kwaben was sound asleep on the bed on the right. Sandry giggled, muffling it halfway behind her hand, half hating herself for waking him up, but not enough to divert her mind from the prank she was about to pull.

Sandry tiptoed to the side of his bed and bent down till her mouth was only an inch from his ear. Smiling she opened her mouth up wide and half screamed, "_**Fire**!_" Kwaben jumped up, only in his breeches, ready to fight flames, knocking Sandry to the floor.

"Where?" he asked sleepily. Sandry giggled, looking down at his Lady, Kwaben knew what had happened. "Why in the _middle of the night_?" he knew all that had transpired earlier today and felt bad for Briar, going through his mind, now, was that Sandry wanted to wrap him in a cocoon and leave him there to starve.

"Nice chest, Kwabby." Oama said, coming into the room and making Sandry laugh even harder, seems someone had gone and woken her up. "How many times a day do you work out?"

Missing the joke he murmured, "Not nearly as much as I used to before…"

Giggling Sandry cut him off and finished the sentence for him; they had had this conversation a thousand times before, minus the chest comment, "before Uncle assigned you to me."

"Don't get me wrong, milady, I _love_ working for you, but I _wish_ you were a dainty cat who was afraid to get her paws wet, instead of the dog you are by bounding right into the _thick of things_." The three friends said together, Oama and Sandry made faces at each other over Kwaben's shoulder.

"Without Lady Sandry our lives would be _boring_ Kwabby." Oama pointed out.

"Sometimes boring can be good…"

"Boring is _boring_!" they started to argue back and forth.

Sandry giggled and said, "You two fight like an old married couple." Blushing the two looked away, from her and each other. Sandry sighed, she knew well what was said when she wasn't around. They loved each other, but neither was ready to settle down and have a family. Oama didn't want to quit her job to raise kids. That is what they fight about when she wasn't around. That and how Kwaben thinks that when they do get married they should move to his hometown, but Oama argues and says when _she_ decides to settle down it will be in _her_ hometown or here in Summersea.

"Milady I have extra breeches if you want…" Oama said, looking down at her Lady's rumbled nightgown.

"Ok." Sandry said, hopping to her feet. Kwaben and Oama looked at each other in surprise, they didn't think they would she her this cheery for a while to come. "Kwaben meet us at the stables in ten minutes." And she and Oama left him to get ready. "I can't _wait_!" Sandry told her guard as she slipped into a pair of too long breeches and one of Oama's few blouses. She was careful to make sure the book was out of her dressing gown and in one of her breeches side pockets before letting it drop to the ground. Sandry waved her hand a little, making the nightgown and the dressing gown jump up and fold themselves neatly on top of the bed.

Oama, smiling at her young mistress and led the way through the barracks and towards the stables, already standing outside waiting for them was Kwaben holding the reins of three horse, a rusty colored mare, a white one, and a big brown horse. Kwaben swung into the saddle of the brown horse, as the two women approached. Sandry quickly got into her saddle as Oama did a weird jump in the air, landing onto hers.

"Where to milady?" Kwaben asked as they began to ride, at a sharp trot, out of the citadel.

"Let's leave through the east gates and ride along the shore. Both of them stammered in surprise. Sure Sandry did this often, but they had been expecting something completely different. "Did you think I was going to say '_let's go to Briar's house and burn it to the ground_.'" Her two guards nodded shocked. "If it was just Briar living there I might, but Tris and Daja… and I'm not mad at them." She sighed and stared at the stars. "I just feel like riding with salty breezes blowing onto me."

Without another word the two guards and their young laughing mistress set off towards the gates and towards the shoreline, where Sandry will pond out her anger and sadness by the difficultly of riding in sand.

Evvy-

Evvy sighed and looked down at her work, she wasn't nearly done. When Evvy had returned from taking Clover part ways to Briar's, Rosethorn had caught her and given her grieve. She had yelled at her for over an hour, while packing up, at what could have happened to her while she was out of the market, Comas and Glaki had hidden under the tarp hoping Rosethorn wouldn't turn on them. On the way back Rosethorn had told her she would scrub the Earth temples floors every night, after the midnight services, for a week. A _week_. She will be lucky to even get an hour's worth of sleep. She had turned to Lark pleading that she make Rosethorn give her a different punishment, but Lark had shaken her head and said the punishment would be good for her. So here she was, in the long room, brimming with candles and alters to the Green Man and Mila of the Grain, scrubbing her _brains_ out, _exhausted_.

Evvy continued to scrub, singing to herself a song Pahan Sandry had taught her and Glaki last week. It was a song in some weird language Sandry knew about a woman name Yin-Yin. Yin-Yin's husband had abused her, she had decided to get an annulment, but her husband wouldn't let her go that easily. He had shouted 'If you don't belong to _me_, you don't belong to _no one_!' and he had pushed the woman into the sea. Her children had mourned for her as had her husband looking like the perfect widower. Then the nightmares had started, Yin-Yin, every night, kept rising from the sea and terrorizing her husband and the village, all the while protecting the children from him. The children were taken from the husband and placed in their grandmother's care and Yin-Yin had sunk beneath the waves. Years later, her daughter got married and _her_ husband started beating her, Yin-Yin rose out of the waves once again and gave her daughter courage to leave her husband, and all the while protecting her from him. Ever since then Yin-Yin has risen out of the sea and protected women and children from abusive men.

"_Beautiful_." A woman's voice from her left said, clapping her hands. The person stepped out of the shadows and Evvy shucked in a breath of shock. It was Moonstream, Supreme Dedicate to Winding Circle's temples. "What does it mean?" She quickly told her the story about Yin-Yin. Moonstream came over and looked down at the girl. "It's amazing that something that beautiful can be that sad, as well." Evvy didn't say a word to her, but just looked up at her in mild surprise. She had met her a few times, but it had always been when she had come to talk with one of the senior mages who were at Discipline Cottage. Normally it would be Pahan Sandry about something or other that has been going on in Summersea. "Where did you _ever_ learn that song?"

"Pahan Sandry." Evvy muttered so low that Moonstream barely heard her.

Moonstream chuckled and said, "I shouldn't be surprised, but for some reason I am." Evvy looked at her curiously through the curtain of her hair. "Briar didn't tell you?" the woman sighed and lowered herself onto the floor by the girl. "Sandry, of all the people I have ever met, knows the most languages. Even some dead ones."

"_Dead_?"

Moonstream, with laughter ringing every word, said, "Languages not used anymore. They…"

She broke off when a runner came bursting through a door, panting, but still managing to get the message out. "_Moonstream_! You're needed at the wall," and he ran back out, Evvy looked out of one of the windows and saw him dashing towards Discipline.

"Come, Evvy." She looked down at her work and then back up to Moonstream. If Moonstream said to come, then she _should_ come, and besides she's sick of cleaning. Evvy bounded up and followed Moonstream out the door and onto the wall. There were all the dedicate initiatives; including Crane, Skyfire, and surprisingly Gorse, all of them were looking out at the sea with open mouths. There bellowing past Winding Circle was a pirate ship, completely ignoring Summersea and Winding Circle as it continued down the coast. "Ring the bells." Moonstream screamed at the dedicates. Evvy had no idea what she was talking about, but it seemed everyone else did, because some of the Fire dedicates hurried off to do that.

"_Evvy_!" Lark scolded as she and Rosethorn came up the stairs. " The point of punishments is that they be fulfilled, _before_ you go running off."

"Lark, _I_ asked her here." Moonstream said, coming to Evvy's rescue, barely glancing at them.

"_For_?" Rosethorn asked, in a quieter bark than usual.

"The bells are to be rung. There is no moon tonight and barely any stars. I would like Evvy to join our stone mages in lighting some of the stones to guide the villagers and farmers in." Evvy, still confused, looked out at the ship that seemed to be docking at a cove five miles out of Summersea harbor. Something was wrong. "Evvy the stone mages are over there." She said pointing to a cluster of Earth dedicates.

"Something's wrong?" she said, pointing to the ship, it had docked where no towns or farms would be around, but rather what looked like a riding trail was. Evvy didn't know much about pirates, but she knew some about bandits and she was pretty sure _neither_ would go where there were no villages or farms to prey on. Moonstream looked where she was pointing and paled. For there riding down the path, oblivious to what was ahead were three riders, they were too far away to hear the bells and too far away for the dedicates to make them out, but Lark and Rosethorn didn't need to see who it was, because carried in the party leader's hand was a small light, much like Sandry's nightlight. The people were Sandry and her guards. They were riding right into a trap and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Sandry-

They had been riding for a little over an hour and Sandry still had to ride, still had to run fro her problems, at least for a little while. The terrain was a difficult one, someone like Briar, Tris, or Daja, who had only been riding for a few years, couldn't do it. Oama and Kwaben sometimes had trouble controlling their horses, but they had been getting better since they had first meet Sandry. The reason the trail was so difficult was because there were cliffs on one side and the sea on the other and the ground beneath was sandy, which made it a little hard for the horses to find good footing and to keep from falling when galloping.

Sandry saw a flash of white when she turned around a sharp turn in the path. She quickly pulled her horse to a stop, and managed to not fall over, Sandry looked down at the animal she had managed not to kill. It was a bear-cub, like the ones she had seen with her parents in the Bonjolie Forests, except this little cub was white instead of black or brown. Snadry dismounted and slipped her light stone into her pocket by the book, ignoring Kwaben's and Oama's near fall into the sea, and walked over to the small cub. It was beaten pretty badly, blood was oozing out of its many cuts and it was soaking wet. It scurried away from her, obviously scared of humans.

_Had it been in the ocean? _She thought, kneeling down a little way from the cub and rubbing her fingers together urging it to come to her. "Come here, little cub."

"I'm not _that _little!" The cub said looking at her, with her head tilted to the side. She turned her head and looked at Kwaben and Oama both of their faces expressed the shock she was feeling. Since when did bears talk? "_What_? Haven't you _ever _talked to polar bears before?" All Sandry could do was shake her head.

_She's a polar bear?_ Sandry had heard of polar bears, they were supposed to live near the mythical Ice City, in the ice continent up North, further up north than even Namorn. They were supposed to thrive in the cold, so how come one was here? In _Emelan_?

"I'm Glacier. You are?"

"Sandry." She managed to stammer out, the cub looked past her at Kwaben and Oama. "The man is Kwaben and she is Oama."

"You are humans." We nodded. " But where are your _furs_? The humans from home have _furs_."

Sandry couldn't help herself, she giggled. "Humans here don't have fur. Are you sure they're furs and not _coats_?"

"Coats?"

"Big things us _furless_ humans wear to keep warm." Oama said, tugging at her leather jerken. "They are sometimes coated with fur or fur like substances."

"Is that why our people trade fur for walrus meat with the humans?" we were puzzled so we shrugged.

"Why are you here?" Sandry asked crawling over to the cub and holding out her arms. The cub stiffened, remembering how he had come to be here, and scuttled into Sandry's arms whimpering. She snuggled as close as she could to the small noble's body.

"The bad men on ships. I jumped off and swam ashore. That's why I was scared of you at first, I thought you might be one of them." The three realized in a second that the "bad men" were pirates. Without explaining to Glacier they ran to their horses and mounted and started galloping back the way they had come, Sandry explaining to Glacier on the way back to Summersea.

Briar-

Briar awoke to pounding on the front door. Out of instinct he went to pull Sandry to him so he could ignore the pounding by burying his head into the soft cascade of her hair, but realized too late when his hand banged against the corner of his nightstand. Cursing he sat up and looked around his room, half expecting to see Sandry curled up on one of the window seats, reading a book, but of course she wasn't there. The only living thing in his room, besides him, was his _shakkan_, which was sitting on his desk across the room.

Briar, tiredly set his feet on the floor, standing up, he did a few quick stretches before throwing on his clothes. Someone had, a maid most likely, already answered the door. He could hear the murmur of two female voices and only one of them was familiar. It was Moonstream.

Briar opened his door and stepped into the hallway and into Tris. She raised a finger lips, pointing down the hall to Clover's room, telling him not to wake the girl up. He nodded and the two of them set of down the hall and down the stair. They were just in time to see the maid usher Moonstream into the parlor, a circular room, stuffed with couches and chairs and shelves upon shelves of books. There is a red and black carpet and red draperies across the windows, covering the window seats with the softest red cushions they could find, it was normally Sandry's seat, unless her and Briar were curled up together on the couch closest to the fireplace on the opposite wall of the double doors leading in. There was another door leading into the small dining room, which in turn leads to the kitchen.

Briar and Tris stepped in, not the least bit surprised to find Daja already there, trying to coax Moonstream into telling her what is wrong. She shook her head, but then she spotted Briar and Tris and stood up. "I have bad news." She took a deep breath, as if to steal herself for the words she was about to utter, "It's Sandry."

Briar crossed the room in less than a stride. "What _happened_?" he demanded his voice raising, not caring that Clover and the servants were still asleep. Right now all he cared about was his Duchess. "_Where is she_?"

For a moment Moonstream looked scared. The supreme dedicate of Winding Circle Temples was scared of Briar Moss, an ex-thief. But after that moment the fear was gone replaced with determination. "She is running into a trap as we speak."

"Then what the**_ hell _**are you doing here?!"

"The four of you have a connection…"

"We _know about that_!" he raved this time waking everyone in the household.

Ignoring him Moonstream continued to talk, "… with it you should be able to warn her. That is why I'm here. We have sent Crane and Skyfire to warn her, but she is on the dangerous trails east of Summersea." Ignoring her last remark the three friends reached for their forth friend but was blocked by a glass wall. Sandry was in trouble and they couldn't help her.

It's all my_ fault_! Briar raged at Tris and Daja through the four's connection. I shouldn't have given up trying to reach her. I _should_ have made her listen to me, then… he let his sentence drop and Daja turned to Moonstream.

"How dangerous are we talking about Moonstream?" Daja asked about the trail.

"The ground is sand, there is a cliff on one side and a steep fall into the ocean on the other. The trail itself is tight and there are a lot of sharp turns. Only the most experienced riders can do it. I'm not even sure Crane and Skyfire will be able… _Briar Moss!_ Where _are_ you going?"

Briar had started to leave the room, pulling on his overcoat, that he had draped over the back of the chair when he had first come home from Sandry's. "After Sandry." And he pounded out of the parlor. The three mages in the room distantly heard the back door slam.

"Where is Briar going?" asked a sleepy Clover coming in through the kitchen door.

Tris looked at Daja with a questioning twinkle in her eye. Daja nodded. "Same place we're going." And the two friends left the room, following their friend.

"I should follow them and make sure they don't get killed." Clover stared wide-eyed at the retreating backs of Tris, Daja, and Moonstream. After a moments hesitation Clover followed them, making it to the side of the stable in time to hear something about Sandry, Briar's fiancé, and the cliffs outside of Summersea. Then, the four mages came pounding out of the stables and towards the cliffs on the east side of Summersea. After another moment's hesitation Clover slipped into the shadows and followed the four out to the cliffs trotting behind them at a steady pace.

Sandry-

There was no time to stop and ease the horses around the next bend, the hardest of all, the one leading onto the trail. The pirates were right behind them, cursing and calling Sandry foal names, saying what they'll do to her once they caught her. Most including rapes and beatings.

Russet was out of breath, she wasn't a horse used for gallops, and the whites of her eyes were showing, meaning she was soon to collapse. Sandry, under her breath, muttered what a good horse she was and how many carrots and sugar cubes she'll get as soon as they were out of the trails.

Glacier was whimpering clawing at Sandry's blouse, wanting her to wrap her arms around her again and mutter everything would be alright, but he girl was too busy holding onto the reins and making sure they stayed upright, and any extra attention she had was spent keeping the horse moving. Kwaben and Oama were riding just as hard behind, trusting their horses to follow Sandry's as they watched the progress of the pirates. They were more ugly then most, but, Oama sighed, at least they were wearing clothes. The carried disgusting, bloody swords in their filthy hands. Some of them even had bows and arrows. Kwaben and Oama got ready to shoot their bows and arrows.

_Yes!_ Sandry shouted in her head as the edge of the cliff came into view. She began to dash through with Kwaben and Oama following right behind. Then a net from above dropped on top of her, by the screams of rage behind her she knew the same thing had happened to Kwaben and Oama. The net magically closed under her and began to pull her and Glacier up. Then the net's magic began to take hold, they tightened around her and Glacier making both of them shrieked with shock and fear. Sandry began to lose consciousness. Before her mind went completely blank Sandry saw Crane and Skyfire riding towards and not to far behind was Briar, Tris, Daja, and Moonstream. Her Briar had come to save her. But then for when he could have reached up and freed her, he veered away from her and towards the sea and Sandry saw a flash of darkness fall down the cliffs. Then Sandry knew no more.

Hope you liked this chapter. If you thought it was too long you should see the original copy. Please review, I would even like an odd comment about the weather. Oh and, I'm not sure if I spelled Vito right; tell me because he might, _might_, come back later on. Thanks again for all those who had reviewed.


	4. A Knife through The Heart

This chapter is Briar's side of the story and everyone's reactions minus Pasco, he's only mentioned in passing. Why? I don't know and if one of you has an idea I'll sure appreciate it. I just realized that on the top of the last of the chapter I forgot to change the title of the chapter. It _is_ called the legend and the pirates.

**Disclaimer**: These characters do not belong to me.

Chapter Four: A Knife through the Heart

Briar-

_Sandry_. Her name resonated in his mind over and over again as he raced through the streets of Summersea. Within in moments they had caughtened up with Crane and Skyfire, a short and sticky brown skinned man with flaming red hair, native to Sotat.

Skyfire noticed them within seconds. "_Moonstream_!" he boomed back to her in his gruff voice. "Did you three warn her?" he asked looking back at the three friends. Tris glanced at Briar and slowly and sadly shook her head. "_Strange_." He muttered shaking his head; no one asked what was strange, because they knew he would just tell them in his own time. "Sandrilene had stopped near where the pirates were, but not in a place where she could see them, she demounted for a few minutes, and then they turned around and started galloping like the devil himself was after them." Daja snorted, in a way the devil _is_ after her.

We can still make it in time! Tris exclaimed through their connection, saving each and every breath for the ride.

"Why?" Moonstream demanded.

"No idea." He paused and rubbed his beard ion thought. "The dedicates from home say it looked like she bent down and picked something up. Don't know what because she put that stone of hers away." Silence fell after that was exchanged each locked on his or her own thoughts about what would happen if they didn't get there in time.

Racing through the east gate the six rounded the last of the road and began to ride down the beginning of the trail. They were in time, but barely. They could make out Sandry and her guards dangling from nets and slowly being dragged up by those damned pirates.

Briar, even with the distance between them, saw the fear in her eyes, growling in anger and muttering what he will do to these pirates once Sandry is safe, Briar urged his horse forward, past Crane and Skyfire, till he was directly beneath the net that held Sandry. She was only half conscious. He doubted she would remember this part of her mini "adventure". But that didn't matter as long as she was safe. He unsheathed one of his wrist blades and reached up to cut the net apart and pull Sandry down onto he saddle with him, but as soon as the tip of the knife touched the net his horse and him were repelled to the edge of the trail almost into the sea itself.

_Magicked_! Briar said in outrage to his two friends. We got to… a scream cut through the air, like a blade through skin, before Briar could finish his thought. Whirling around on his horse he was just in time to see Clover begin to slide. He was the closet one to her and the only one who could get there in time. Should he save his beloved or Clover? Get Sandry! He shouted to his friends making his decision in a split second. He jumped off his horse and slide on the ground grabbing Clover at the last possible second. He pulled and pulled her up, not even looking back once to see if Tris, Daja, and them had gotten to her. Finally Clover was up and shivering, Briar made sure she would suffer no more than nightmares before turning back into _his_ nightmare.

Sandry was gone. It looked like the five mages had tried every spell they knew, but to no luck, like the gods themselves wanted Sandry gone for some reason or another. Briar stood up with grieve edged on every line and plane of his face. Clover behind him started to cry. "I'm sorry."

Moonstream, the only one still able to talk, everyone else was either too shocked or magically drained, came over and placed an arm around the girl. "I doubt if you weren't here it would have made a difference." She turned to glare at Briar, who was staring at the sea with a gut-wrenching look on his face. "Right Briar?" she asked kindly, more for his sake than Clover's.

Coming out of his shock he nodded, "It wouldn't of." But he still had that dead look in his eyes. Tris came over with tears streaming, for once, freely down her face and put her arms around him. Daja came a placed her brass capped hand on his shoulder, she, too, was crying. The three friends watched as there forth and final friend, their _saati_, being dragged away from them by ship and dirty pirates. They knew it was no use going after them, the ship was heading too far out into the ocean and by morning would be out of sight completely and there wasn't enough time to get a ship ready, they would need supplies, food, and, of course, medicines. Not to mention a crew and healers. She was gone and there was no way to save her.

_Sandry_.My_ duchess was gone. _Briar thought as Tris and Daja led him away from the spot where his love was stolen away and back towards Summersea. It was time to tell His Grace the bad news.

Evvy-

She had sat on the edge of the wall and watched Moonstream, Crane, and Skyfire rush towards Summersea and splitting up once there, Moonstream heading to Number Six Cheeseman street and the two men heading to the trail where Pahan Sandry was. Evvy had half-watched the battle down there as she lit the stones, with Rosethorn and Lark praying behind her for Sandry's safety. When they saw the ship leave, with Pahan Sandry, Kwaben, and Oama, Evvy couldn't use her magic anymore. Lark had started to dry cry behind her, and it was making her and everyone else want to cry. Rosethorn ordered her take Lark off of the wall and back to discipline. Evvy was more than happy to oblige, it was better than being up here where everyone could only talk about what had happened.

Dedicate Rosethorn was going to stay and watch the progress of the ship and what the general direction it was going in, saying maybe they could go after them later and save her. Evvy could tell, after years of knowing her, that she was just as upset about Pahan Sandry as Lark was, Briar wasn't the only one of the four she loved, even if she didn't show it, and that she was still praying as hard as she could to Mila of the Grain, Green Man, and every other god out there for Pahan Sandry's safe return, as was everyone of the dedicates that had ever met her, even if the meeting was just for a brief moment.

Evvy half-carried Lark back to the cottage, because she was half delirious. There, putting on a pot of tea, was ten-year-old Glaki and eighteen year old novice Comas, who was cutting up a loaf of bread, quietly, so as not to disturb anybody, as he so put it. It seems the runner who had come to get Lark and Rosethorn had woken them up. And, at least in Glaki's case, had begged to come with and see what was going on. Rosethorn would have, of course, put her foot down and threatened, if they decided to follow, to hang them in the well by their ankles or thumbs.

"Is everything all right Lark?" Glaki asked coming over and pulling the Earth dedicate over to the table and forcing her to sit down, Glaki could be pretty persistent when she wished to be otherwise she just stayed to the shadows like Comas.

Lark, who was still numb with shock and terror, didn't so much as glance in the girl's direction, but stared open-mouthed, with tears beginning to brim in her eyes, at Sandry's old bedroom now occupied by Glaki. Glaki turned her wide fearful brown eyes, she had never seen Lark so close to crying before, on Evvy asking her what had happened. Evvy shrugged telling her it wasn't something she wanted to talk about in front of the already distressed Earth Dedicate.

The too shy Comas continued to cut the bread ignoring this exchange between his younger housemates. Even after two years with living with the two girls he barely ever said a word to either of them or at all unless Pasco, Sandry's student, or Sandry herself was around.

Glaki pressed a warm mug of tea into Lark's hands. Lark, acting if she just suddenly coming out of a coma, looked at the girl in surprise and murmured a thank-you. Instead of drinking the tea she stared deeply into its murky depths, maybe trying to scry to find Sandry. Evvy grabbed a piece of bread off of the cutting board and sat down in front of Lark and began to nibble on it, wandering why Sandry had been on that _deadly_ trail at midnight. Some of the dedicates had muttered about her possibly being upset, saying how she rode back and forth for _days_ after that incident with _un-magic_. And that led her into thinking about what un-magic was.

Glaki was shifting from foot to foot; she _wanted_ to know what was going on. She hated not knowing what was going on, she was old enough to help. Glaki opened her mouth to ask, but snapped it shut as fast as she had opened it because Lark began to cry, her shoulders heaving as each sob tore through her body unmercifully.

Comas stopped cutting up the bread and came up behind Lark and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his body, he could always use his magic to dry it off later. Lark clutched his robes and cried and cried. She sobbed out, "_She's gone! She's gone! I can't believe she's gone_!" Glaki took the mug out of her teacher's hands and began to rub her back in soothing circles.

Evvy looked at Lark and at Comas and Glaki. She needed to leave, so she left the cottage and stopped in the middle of the front yard. She looked out at the starry sky and at the heavens, where the gods were said to live. "_Why?!"_ she shouted, at the gods, starting to cry herself. "What'd she _ever_ do to you? _Nothing_!" she used a twist of her magic to call a shiny rock from the side of the road and into her arms. She wrapped her arms around it and pressed it into her stomach. "She _didn't_ deserve it!" and holding the rock even more tightly, putting her grieve in it, she didn't want to Lark to see her so upset, Evvy collapsed to the ground, her tears falling off her face and onto the rock, disappearing into it. Vaguely she felt someone wrap strong arms around her and it wasn't until she felt the other's tears mingling with hers did she looked behind her. It was Rosethorn who had just returned from the wall. Seeing Rosethorn cry was worse than seeing Lark cry. Dropping the rock on the ground, Evvy threw her arms around the older woman drawing comfort and giving comfort all at the same time.

After awhile the woman drew from the warm comforting embrace. "Sandrilene _didn't_ deserve it, and a curse on _anyone_ who thinks otherwise, god or no god." The woman stood up and offered a hand to the girl, Evvy scooped up her "grieve" rock and one arm and with the other she grabbed the offered arm and hoisted herself off. "Go pack You Glaki, Lark, and I are going to Summersea, His Grace wishes us, meaning Lark and I, there. And since we can't eave the two of you alone, your coming with us." Evvy opened her mouth to ask about Comas, but Rosethorn, who knew the girl's mind as well as her own by now, said, "He is a novice, he stays out of trouble, plus he likes being alone. He's staying." Evvy nodded and the two entered the house. Glaki and Comas both sat at the table, tears streaming down their faces. Standing behind them, rubbing their backs as they cried, was Dedicate Gorse. He had told the young mages what had happened. Lark was nowhere in sight, but Evvy could hear her rummaging about in her workshop, muttering about how she had to get buttons for Sandry. Rosethorn pushed past the stone mage and entered Lark's workshop, all signs of the tears she had shared with Evvy were gone, and she didn't even have red eyes. The three housemates could hear harsh Rosethorn gently urging Lark to go to her room and pack.

Glaki, not wishing to hear anymore of the gentle encouragement dashed into her room. Evvy could hear her pulling clothes out of her dresser and hastily putting them into a bag. Evvy stumbled over to her door and through the threshold. She threw her "grieve" rock onto the bed. She hadn't changed the room much since she had gotten it, it still looked like Briar's room, except there was no "nest" there was a bed and on the shelf instead of a _shakkan _were rocks from all the different countries she had visited with Pahan Briar and Rosethorn.

Not wishing to stay in one place so long Evvy threw all of the clothes she pulled out of her dresser into a bag, unfolded. They wouldn't wrinkle; Pahan Sandry had made them for her recently, for Long night. As Evvy stuffed the rocks, they weren't common in Summersea and she didn't want them to get stolen, into the bag, wrapping them tightly in the clothes, Evvy thought about very time she had seen Pahan Sandry. She had always been laughing and joking with whoever was around. Evvy remembered when just a year ago Pahan Sandry had tackled Pahan Briar to the ground because he had been teasing her about her out fit. Evvy racked her brain trying to remember what her outfit had been. _Oh yes, _she thought. _Pahan Sandry had been wearing those ridicules wide breeches that looked like skirts in bright pinks and yellows. She had been mad had Pahan Briar for a _month

"Evvy?" Glaki asked solemnly walking into the room. Evvy nodded her head as she closed the bag. Glaki stepped in the room, with her companion Little Bear right behind her, and firmly closed the door. "How?' Evvy didn't ask what she meant she already knew. Pahan Sandry.

"She was out riding. There is still so much we don't know about how."

"Why?" Glaki sat down on the bed by the rock-creature Luvou, who didn't so much as roll over. Evvy shrugged in response. Turning the girl left the room, Glaki followed with Luvou cradled in her arms and Little Bear on her heels. Lark and Rosethorn stood by the door, bags at heir feet, waiting for their two distractible charges to appear, looking out at the road, both lost in their own thoughts or prayers. "They stay!" Rosethorn said, noticing them a few moments later when one of Winding Circle's rickety carriages, normally used to lug products to sell in Summersea there. The dog sensing the Earth dedicates mood crawled over to her and shyly licked her hand. The dedicate smiled a little, caved, and agreed to allow Luvou and Little Bear to come. "Just don't get in the way!" she had called as she helped Lark into the carriage.

"Oh _wait_!" Glaki said as she began to climb in. Pushing the rock creature into his owner's hands she ran into the house. Leaving Rosethorn and Evvy vexed and Lark staring into space not caring.

Little Bear tried to follow his charge put was pulled back up sharp command from Rosethorn. "_Dog_! If you leave this carriage you don't come back in!" the dog slunk back into the carriage and hid under one of the wooden benches. While waiting for the girl, Rosethorn settled into the driver's seat, getting angrier with each passing second. After ten minutes the ten-year-old bounded back into sight carrying a miniature version of Sandry and a black lacquer box.

For a moment the young girl hugged the doll tightly to her chest praying with tears running freely down the house. Then she pressed the doll into Lark's grasp with a murmured, "For Luck." Lark hugged the doll and looked at the girl gratefully.

The doll had Sandry down to the last freckle. It had her usual sun-streaked hair curled and pinned under a thin blue veil, her dancing (the doll's eyes were literally dancing with happiness) cornflower blue eyes, a light blue gown etched with embroidering of waves at the bottom, and blue silk slippers. The clothes could be removed. Glaki had three other such dolls. One of Tris perfect from her stormy eyes to her simple gowns, one of Briar with his moving vine tattoos (Sandry had bewitched the simple threads to move.) wearing an light green shirt, an over robe with little embroideries of leaves, and dark green breeches, and a Daja with her brass capped hand (a metal mage from Winding Circle had done it in real brass after much begging.) wearing a brass colored shirt and breeches. And with each letter the young mage sent to her redheaded friend she sent a package of clothes for the dolls causing Glaki to love and adore her before she even met her. The girl used to force Tris to replay silly stories of her childhood using the dolls as representatives of her missing friends. After hours of searching frantically Tris had given her a small white dog doll, so she could tell the Little Bear story.

Lark gave the small girl a sad smile and hugged the doll close as Rosethorn cracked a whip above the horse's head causing it to begin to trot and carry them towards Summersea.

Briar-

They sat in Duke Vedris's study, Briar sat in one of the two chairs across from him, slumped down. Tris sat in the chair by Briar and leaned on the wall by the door, scowling at everything and nothing. Crane, Skyfire, and Moonstream stood by the balcony doors/windows, waiting for him to react to their horrible news. But he just sat there, staring at his desk, ashen faced. Subconsciously, Moonstream set up a quick healing spell, she was ready to jump forward and heal him if his heart started to give out.

"We had sat here…" he began after twenty minutes of anxious waiting, "just a little while ago. She had been scolding me. How can she be gone? Like that?" the Duke croaked out. Briar looked at him, startled, His Grace was _crying_ over Sandry like she was already _dead_! "If she as so much as a _scratch_ on her…!" he began to shake with uncontrollable rage. "I'll _kill_ those _bastards_! I'll make them wish they were _never born_! As Shurri as my witness I…!" he shouted this at the desk, ranting on for another ten minutes what he would do. The desk shook with each word he bellowed, but no one tried to calm him, his anger was just even if it was bad for his health. "I will send out _all_ of my best ships and _they will find her_!" he ended slamming his fist down onto the desk and a letter opener, making it bleed as the letter opener he, also, hit dug into his skin.

"Your Grace?' a small calm voice asked as the door swung open to reveal Sandry's cool headed maid Gudruny. She knew what had happened, as probably everyone in the citadel knew, but she was determined not to let her emotions be seen by her children. "Dedicates Rosethorn and Lark are here. As well as Ravvikkis Evvy and Glaki," Ravvikki was the Normonese word for miss, and in her distress she had slipped into some of the more comfortable words of her native country, "are waiting in the west wing sitting room."

Finally, Briar sighed as he and the rest of the group stood in the room, _it was time to find a way to save Sandry_. _Once this is over they can go on with their lives and all will be…_

Briar stopped his thoughts, not willing himself to think about the future, without Sandry it all seemed bleak. The six mages and his Grace entered the room as weary as soldiers returning from the front line. Those from Discipline stood or sat at odd intervals in the room, most (the exception being Lark) sipped the tea that Gudruny, practically being the only servant still up, had set in the room before coming to fetch them.

Little Glaki was the first to notice their presence and upon seeing Tris she dropped the half full china teacup she had been holding and ran to her foster-mother crying. Tris held her close, crying herself, and held on tight, as if her crumpled world could never be put back together again.

His Grace gave half filled chuckle at the sight of the puddle of dark tea on his carpets. It loosened most of the room up considerably, not enough to be called comfortable, but enough. Rosethorn, who had been sitting stiffly and upright, leaned back into the coach. Lark stood by the window, clutching the little Sandry doll, her back turned from everyone; her shoulders slumped in a defeated way. On the table in between the two coaches and the two chairs was the coffee table and on it sat her untouched cup of tea. She couldn't bring herself to drink it. Not knowing if Sandry was in pain or even alive.

"Lark? Come sit down." Evvy called from her seat by Rosethorn. But Lark just ignored the stone mage and continued to stare dejectedly out of the window. "How are you, Pahan?" she asked turning her eyes and concern on Briar. _He must be as upset as Lark, _the girl thought, looking him up and down from where he stood by the door. _Maybe even more, considering they were engaged and in _love_ and all _thatUnlike Lark Briar actually answered her, well more or less. He shrugged and sagged down into the lowest chair, which was across from her own seat on the coach. He propped his elbows on his knees and cradled his head on his hands.

"If I may have all your attentions?" the rage from earlier is all gone or at least buried inside himself for till later. Everyone besides Lark scurried into seats or got him or herself comfortable. Tris once again in the chair by Briar's, Daja sat on the floor in between her friends, and Glaki settled herself onto Tris lap. Moonstream, Skyfire, and Crane leaned on one leg or another comfortable as they were. "Lark?' he called gently out to the jumpy dedicate, Sandry's foster mother and mentor. "Will you please sit down?" Sandrilene wouldn't want any of us discomfort," he smiled for a moment, remembering her anger and sadness at Briar from earlier, "_most_ of us anyway." Briar blushed, knowing he meant him. _Had Sandry told His Grace _her_ version of last night? _Lark ambled over to the coach and plopped herself down on it by Rosethorn, leaning against the woman, who started rubbing her back, she clutched the doll closer to her then ever. His Grace's eyes softened for a moment as he gazed at the doll before going on, "Now that everyone is more comfortable I believe I shall tell you of my plans." He paused gathering strength staring at the replica of Sandry. "As I have told some of you," he nodded to the three dedicates behind him and towards Sandry's two sister-saatis and her lover/fiancée. "I'm sending troops after the ship top find, and kill, the bastards. Sandry will be save at home in days." He faced Rosethorn, the second of Sandry's two foster mothers, "I have been informed that you know the direction that _damn_ ship took. Correct?"

The woman, still rubbing Lark's back, nodded absent-mindedly. "Northeast. The ship was heading northeast."

"I hate to ask this, but would you mind…?" he began to ask, but the sharp-tongued dedicate cut him off.

"Sandry is my daughter. I won't abandon her. You needn't even ask because I was going to go regardless as long as you care for Lark." The dedicate snapped gently at his Grace, paying heed only to Lark. "_Boy_! What are you _doing_?" Briar had stood up, back straight and proud, like a man resolved to face his destiny without any qualms.

"I'm going as well." He pronounced to those around and subconsciously to Sandry, so she knows he, at least, hasn't abandoned her.

"As are we!" Tris and Daja shouted raising quickly to their feet as we'll.

"I thought as much." Was all Duke Vedris said on the matter of them leaving to find Sandry. "You are all welcome to stay here for the rest of the night," he meant the three young mages and the intuitive dedicates, not Sandry's foster mothers and the two girls who were going to stay here till Sandry was returned. Moonstream immediately declined with the excuse of "preparing". Crane and Skyfire used the same excuse. "Ok," he said, as the three intuitive left, "The three of you," meaning Briar, Tris, and Daja. "will be in your usual rooms. Glaki, will be in with Tris." The girl nodded and leaned tiredly against the redhead. "Evvy your room is the second door on the right of the main stairs. Dedicate Rosethorn yours is to the right of Evvy's and Lark's is on the…"

"Your Grace?" Lark asked quietly, causing all in the room to jump, it was the first time she said anything in hours and her voice was a little hoarse from the lack of use.

"Yes?" he halfway saw where this was going.

"Might I stay in Sandry's room? I wish to be closer to her."

"Of coarse." He slowly walked up to her and patted her on the shoulder. "Let us retire now. I have already sent men to get everything ready and we all need our rest for the long days ahead." Slowly and solemnly the group left the room and went up the stairs, splitting at the top of it to go to their separate destinations.

Briar was almost to the door of his room, which is three doors down from Sandry's, when Lark came barreling out of the room and running to him. She waved a ring in front of his face shouting nonsense at him. It was the engagement ring he had given Sandry, A crack was down the middle of the green stone.

So, that's it. What do you think? Good, bad, need of something more. Cruel comments are welcome! Review please.

Thanks again to all who reviewed. Especially A. Skyhawk.


	5. Rearing to Go

I made a mistake that Alaia Skyhawk pointed out, if the ship went Northeast they would have run into the land, so pretend that I said out into open sea and then northeast.

Disclaimer: I spelled disclaimer right on my first try. Yeah! Well, anyway I don't own the Circle cause if I did, I sure wouldn't be placing it on the Internet for **_FREE_**!

Chapter five: Rearing to go

_There was something warm and… _fuzzy_ on her. It couldn't be Little Bear for her beloved dog was now at Discipline with Glaki. Blearily the weary mage opened her eyes and looked down at her lap, where the fuzzy feeling came from. Glacier was still in it, her furry chest rising up and down with each breath, but that was all she could see, and only because of the whiteness of the polar bear's fur. Everything else was complete and utter blackness._

_Sandry hurriedly reached for her magic to at least see light inside herself, if not call light into her clothes, or her guards'. But something stopped her from reaching it. There was a glass wall between her and her magic! She was alone in the dark, and with her magic blocked from herself there was no use waiting or praying for help from her friends._

He numbly took the ring out of Lark's hand. She had taken it off. She had promised never to do that. She was on that trail because of _him_. Did she hate him? Did she even want to be rescued by him?

Yes she would want to be rescued whether it was by him or not. She would want to be here to tell him her feelings. Sandry wasn't one to run away from anything.

_"Calm down Sandrilene!" she scolded herself. She thought and thought of ways out of her current predicament. She couldn't find any. Her friends couldn't rescue her, Kwaben and Oama were most likely in a different room/cell, her light stone… Her _light stone_! She had put it into her pocket before these dirty _jishen_ had grabbed her._

_She quickly pulled it out of her pocket, accidentally hitting Glacier on the head while doing it. The sudden glare of light woke the polar bear and stung Sandry's eyes. Sandry stood up, sending Glacier tumbling off of her and scrambling into a corner, to better see her surroundings._

Everyone in the household, to Gudruny's children to Duke Vedris, stumbled out of their rooms at the sound of Lark's shouts and toward the sounds. Rosethorn quickly took her place by the woman and muttered soothing words. But Lark was too upset to be calmed down by her old friend.

Briar ignored all that went around him, Tris and Daja coming over and staring at the ring with tears in their eyes and when Lark started to pound on his chest demanding to know what he had done, he took it without a complaint. His world, his _Duchess_… was gone. There was no more happiness only pain.

_The floor swayed a little and it was only then did she realize that they were on a boat. There was only one door, a thick wooden one _made_ to hold people. In a corner a foot from the door lay the unconscious Kwaben with Oama curled tightly up besides him and half on him, for a moment she was jealous before she erased all those thoughts from her mind. She could be jealous later. They were the only things in the room; there wasn't a box to seat on or a mouse to make noise. This place was a cell._

_Glacier glared at the light and stumbled over to where Kwaben and Oama lay and plopped herself on his chest. He grunted like he was about to wake up but fell back in an uneasy sleep. Sandry went to the wall farthest from them and sank down till she was sitting. She drew her legs up for warmth, placed the light stone on the floor by her, and laid her head on her knees, urging herself to sleep._

"_What happened? What happened_?" Lark began to shake him screaming wanting to know why he and Sandry were fighting and… blaming him. He blamed himself too, but, well, it was one thing for you to know you did wrong then when your whole family knew you did wrong.

"Lark, shush!" Rosethorn managed to pull the dedicate away from him, but Briar didn't move, didn't say a word, didn't _breath_. It was like he was dead. "_Boy_ before I can't hold her any longer you better explain. That girl _loved_ that ring and only you could make her tear it off." Briar didn't answer her, but turned around and entered his room holding the ring tightly in his fist like it was a talisman.

How come she was here? She vaguely remembered Briar reaching up to cut her down, but everything thing else was foggy at best. She racked her mind for the answer. It came to her then, he had backed away from her. But why? Right before her mind went completely blank Sandry vaguely saw something fall over the cliff. She closed her eyes and imagined that part over and over again till the memory became sharper, it wasn't something it was someone.

Sandry had no idea who it truly was but she had an idea it was that girl that was pregnant with his child. Sandry started to cry lightly as she said to the ground, "He had saved that girl instead of me. He chose her, now it is really over between us. There is no going back." She tried, again, to fall back asleep, but her mind wouldn't… couldn't. She replayed over and over the scene from earlier.

Tris and Daja quickly summarized the day's events to Lark and Rosethorn before slipping into the room after Briar. They heard Rosethorn calmly lead Lark down the hall and into Rosethorn's room. They heard everyone return to their rooms and to their beds.

"Do you think she hates me?" came the boy's voice from the balcony. The two girls smiled sadly at each other before joining their brother on the terrace. Briar's hands were folded behind his back and he stared deep at the starless night, tears running slowly sown his face.

It's possible. Tris said through their connection, coming to his right side and placing her pudgy hand on his shoulder. But I severally doubt it, she loves you so deeply and truly and she wouldn't give all that up without a fight.

Briar smiled at his favorite sister and stared out at the sky with renewed hope. "We should go to bed, now." He sensible Daja said quietly from the doors."

The future will be long. and the three friends split up for the night, eager to start looking for their friend.

The door slowly creaked open and a rotten stench reached the young nobles nose. It smelled like decaying flesh, rotten eggs, and my brother's dirty socks or his clean ones if it comes to that. Sandry picked her head up and resisted the urge to vomit. Standing in the doorway were three very grubby men, wearing soaked furs coated in grim, their hair was matted to their heads. The smell of decaying flesh was easily explained, each man was carrying raw meat.

"Well, well, well. Lookie 'ere boys the whittle princess is finally up." The "cleanest of the three growled to the other two men. He had a grubby fur vest thing on and black breaches that were cut off at the knees, his boots were fur-lined. He had long blond reaching to his shoulders and dark green eyes. Sandry hated him instantly. "Me name ez Paschal Kiers. Yeh are?"

She didn't like the look in his eyes as he looked her up and down, their was a hungry look in his eyes, she didn't need to read his mind to know what was going on in there. "Dirty jishen." She spat at the base of his boots. The men at his side started to draw his sword.

"What did yeh call 'im whelp?" the man on the right asked. Subconsciously Sandry realized the man was their captain.

She set her chin at it's most mulish angle and said, loudly and proudly, "Jishen; a leech, a parasite, something who lives off of another."

The third man drew a rusty blade from its scabbard and started to move forward, the second man right behind him. Then Paschal raised a hand, "Enough Troika, Oswald. Leave the room, me more then enough for one measly girl, even if she does 'ave magic." The two men grumbled and left the room. The captain turned towards the mage. "Yeh never told me your name." She didn't say anything. "Why yeh steal me bear?"

At the mention of Glacier as a **Thing** and not a living creature the young noble lost her tightly controlled temper. "Dirty jishen, pavoo…," the girl continued to rant at the pirate captain with colorful language that would make most men cower in their boots, but the captain wasn't just any man he was a pirate. He laughed that such a pretty girl would know such words. When she calmed down the man raised an eyebrow at her, demanding that she answer his question. "I don't steal, only dirty jishen, pirates like you do."

"Pirates!?" the man said, laughing at the girl in open surprise. "we be not pirates, we be Titans."

"Titans?" it was Sandry's turn to sputter in surprise. She had heard of the country of Titans, it was a country boarding the artic, and it would help to explain these "pirates" dirtiness., the water up there was freezing cold and took over a day to warm and costly to do, so they only bathed once a month if they were nobles and rich, once a year if they were poor. It meant that her enemies weren't just pirates, who her uncle could fight and win, but a pretty big country he couldn't. She was truly lost to her family forever.

"Chime, get it!" Tris yelled at her glass dragon as the papers saying she was allowed to board the ships went flying out the window. The girl's arms were filled with clothes and thing she would be taking with her from the house on number 6 Cheeseman Street, so she couldn't use one of her winds to stop it. The strange thing was all of her winds new better then to scatter her paperwork and she had sent them all throughout the city to gather the gossip on Sandry's disappearance and wouldn't be back till she got on the ship, there weren't any of Summersea winds here either. What, then, had caused the paper to go soaring out the window, like it had not a care in the world?

Wearily Tris folded the clothes Sandry had made her and placed it on top of the few books, which were placed neatly at the bottom of the cedar trunk, she was bringing and on top of those place the ones Sandry didn't make and were known to get wrinkles. She looked up when she had finished placing a piece of lightning for a lock that no thief would dare to try to break, Chime had yet to return. The girl scowled. It's probably a bird, she thought, they hated Chime, and she hated them.

"Chime get your butt back in here and bring the papers I se… " Tris broke off as she caught sight of an old friend from Tharios. He lifted his hand and waved, smiling impishly at her, for in his hand was her paper work and on his shoulder was her glass dragon. Smiling Tris dashed through her plain room and down thee hallway till she was at the top of the stairs. The maid was just showing the man in, but before she could help him out of his jacket Tris had thrown herself at him, he barely had enough time to catch. The two of them crashed to the floor in a jumble of arms, legs, and glass, laughing their heads off as Chime screeched in dismay.

I know this chapter was leaning on the short side but… well I'm sick and don't really want to type a lot, not that I like typing when I'm not sick, _but_…

What did you think? You like? You dislike? What did you like/dislike about it? Review please! Oh and if any one can guess who it is I'll dedicate the next chapter to them.


	6. northern star, northern lights, and Hope

**Disclaimer**: me no own nobody but Glacier and Marabelle.

I can't believe I'm on chapter 6 already. Yah to me!

**Dedication:** This chapter is dedicated to **imakeladrygirl** because she was the first person to get back to me, but I won't tell you if she's right. They don't appear in this chapter, but they do the next (which I forgot about till I looked at my notes :) sorry!). Till then I'll leave you hanging.

Chapter six: The North Star, Northern Lights, and Hope

She was leaning over the side off the boat heaving up what little she ate for midday as she had been doing for the past two weeks of the four she has been here. Oama was holding her braided hair back and the girl.

The Titans had allowed them to roam the ship after a week of "solitary" (meaning the three humans and the polar bear in one room) confinement, the only time Glacier is allowed is when she is on a leash. Of coarse they had slapped some weird bracelet on Sandry's wrist that she discovered, when trying to contact Tris and Daja, which blocked her magic from her use unless she was given permission by the "captain". Some of the women that were on board, to do the men's cooking and cleaning, had loaned her some gowns and private women things.

A small salty breeze blew across the girl's face. The salt breezes would normally calm down the girl's nerves or, in this case, a queasy stomach, but this time all it did was make it worse. She heard some of the men stop and call her a weird name in the "cold" language as she had started calling it, it sounds like a grating of an ice burg, their wives scolded them and dug elbows into their sides, among other things. A few times Sandry had asked those kind, yet dirty, women what it meant, but they would only look at her sympathetically and shake their heads as if saying 'she will now when the gods deem her ready to know'.

"You feeling better milady?" Oama asked helping her young mistress back onto the boat.

"I believe…" she began to answer when her stomach started to revolt again, sending up what little she had left, she went back into her old spot. She groaned as the waves sucked down her midday, "I've never been seasick before."

Oama looked guiltily out at the swirling gray waters of the sea. The sky was a deeper gray, almost a black, then the ocean meaning it meant to storm today. "We've been here a month." Sandry pushed herself away from the rail and stumbled across the deck and to the hatch (**a/n: it is called a hatch isn't it**?), nodding like she was half-dead. She wanted to find her cool bed and lie down and take a nap. "I got my monthly _last_ week." The two women came into the room they shared. It was compact, the two beds barely fit in. On the floor by the foot of the beds were two small trunks stuffed full of the clothes that had been lent to them. "You, normally, get yours a day or so before mine."

"So?" the noble asked throwing herself onto the bed by the sleeping Glacier. She sat up and kicked off the boots wearing. "I've _always_ been irregular. You know that." She pulled off the cotton blue gown she was wearing, and with just her breast band and lion cloth, slipped under the sheets, with a little trouble from the bear. "_Much _better."

"You said yourself you've never been sea sick before. _Ever_!"

Sandry gave her an amused look, eyes twinkling dully. "It sounds like you think I'm pregnant." Oama nodded. Sandry, barely containing laughter said, "Impossible! Briar…" the laughter died from the girl's eyes at her slight mention of her former lover/ fiancée. The tears that always seemed close these days filled her eyes. "Well, _he_ used Droughtwood which sterilizes a man for days."

"And it isn't possible he forgot about it? Just once?"

Sandry opened her mouth to retort no, that they had always been careful about making babies, but there had been such a time. It had been the day before the Titans had taken her, the day before that girl had appeared Sandry had just gotten over her monthly and Briar's Droughtwood had run out the day or so before and he decided to wait till her monthly was over before taking more of the plant. It would have taken a few hours to go into effect, but neither of them wanted to wait that long. What could happen just this one time? They had asked each other falling into each other's arms and onto Briar's bed.

"Lady Sandry?" Should she tell Oama? She will most likely understand but… it scared _her_ to think to be pregnant with no husband and more importantly no Briar to hold her hand.

They had talked about starting their family as soon as they were married. They had both agreed to have a big family. But planning it was different from the truth she was alone, pregnant, and husbandless. In their plans they were married, in a household of they're own, and _not_ separated by miles of ocean waters and with another girl pregnant with his child.

Oama guessed the truth; she sank down onto the bed besides the young woman as the girl's shoulders began to heave with suppressed sobs. "No one will think the worst of you." The guard whispered as Sandry kept trying to hold back the tears.

"It's all _wrong_!" the girl shouted collapsing into Oama's lap, tears running freely down her face. "I should be getting ready for my _wedding_! Briar should be _here_! With _me_ not… not with that _girl_!" Oama gently rubbed the girl's back as she cried. Slowly the sobs quieted and the young woman fell into an uneasy sleep full of dreams of whining babies and her fiancée walking down the street holding another faceless woman's hand as they cooed over a baby.

"Oama, Sandrilene! Wake _up_!" Kwaben the bald black guard shouted running into the room, stopping short at the sight of the two women doing patch up work on clothes and other senseless chores. He rushed up and grabbed one of their arms each. "We must go to the deck."

"Why?" Sandry asked voice frail and wary from her near constant morning sickness. Kwaben, who was rarely around during these episodes, didn't yet know of his young mistress's condition.

"To see the… the _what'ca-ma-call-it_!" he said pulling the two women to their feet and out of the room.

"The… _what_?" Oama asked, jerking her arm out of the man's grip and glaring at him.

"I don't remember the name, but I'm sure they'll tell us." He ignored the death glares he was getting from the two women and opened the hatch. The three friends stepped out into the chilly night.

Kwaben dropped his jacket over the shivering Sandry and led the way up to Captain Kiers. Snadry respected his abilities as captain as did her two guards, none of them respected him as a person though. They didn't like them or any of the Titans. Well besides the small amount of children on board. No matter what their parents had done it was hard to blame their innocent faces, especially Sandry who was pregnant with a, no doubt, trickster growing in her own stomach.

"'Ello there." Kiers said as the three of them approached him. "Come to see the rising of the _Aquarist Baubles_?" they nodded dumbfounded.

Sandry nodded curtly in greeting as did Oama and Kwaben.

"You know that bear you grabbed?" Sandry rolled her eyes, she had not "grabbed" it. "He's ransom for our enemies the Hopians. We only grabbed _you_ because you grabbed _him_."

"Her." She automatically said without thinking.

"The bear talked to ya?" She didn't say anything. "Amazing. Never thought he would talk to anyone." The captain said thoughtfully. "Yeh be chosen by Ivelane."

_Who is Ivelane? _Sandry asked herself as the captain turned from her and towards were several grubby mages, both male and female, stood near the port side.

"Rise the _Aquarist Baubles_!_" _shouted and soon every man, woman, and child, excluding Sandry and her Guards, were shouting it. The mages mumbled some words in the Cold Language and a great bubble burst from below the ship and surrounded it, not leaving a hole open so that water could get in, Sandry noticed when she touched it with the little magic she was now allowed to use. The bubble was a gray-green and had little slit like things at set intervals on it. "Below we go!" and the ship began to sink down into the ocean. It trembled as it slipped between the sleeping waves, Sandry stumbled and Kwaben caught her, grabbing hold of a strand of rigging, so neither of them went over board. Oama quickly grabbed the sides and held on tight till her knuckles were white, holding herself onto the land of the living. When the trembling stopped, Sandry stumbled over to the side and emptied her stomach of her meager dinner.

"What the _hell_ was that?" she demanded of the captain as soon as she felt semi-herself. She wiped her mouth on the woolen dress she was wearing.

"Our way of getting home faster." Was all he said, staring up at the sky. His lack of interest raised her curiosity, so she too looked up at the sky. She gasped in wander, the bubble was still in place and a good thing to or the weight of the water above them would surely have killed them, but being under water wasn't the biggest shocker. The biggest shocker was what was swimming above. She was looking at a long white underside of a huge undersea creature. "If you get easily sea sick I would go below, we are entering a current." Sandry knew he knew about her. How could he not? Unless he was as oblivious as Kwaben. And yet he still was gentle about her… condition.

Sandry stumbled over to the hatch and opened it, but for a moment she stood there looking at the large black and white creature swim gracefully singing a sad song and Sandry swears it was singing her own sad tale. Right before it disappeared for few a last note reached her ears, "Almond." It seemed to say, as if as a predication of the future. Then it was finally gone from sight and her heart bursting with joy and hope for the future disappeared from sight as well.

"Sandry!" a wet nose pressed itself against her cheek. Sandry pushed the furry beast away from her. "_Sandry_!" the nose was now in her ear. "We are above again. We can go up now." Sandry opened her tired eyes and glared at her polar bear friend. It had been months since they've been on the deck, Sandry loved the new sights, but hated the rolling sensation the currents gave her stomach. She had now been on this cursed ship for four months, two of which have been under water.

Her stomach had begun to show a little over a week ago and Kwaben finally caught on and was more over protective of her, if that was even possible. Glacier had grown a bit and was almost to the woman's waist. She joked with the bear saying by time the baby was born she could ride on her. For hours later Glacier would prance around ecstatic that soon she would be able to help.

"And Kwaben wants you above." She continued to pester as the girl rolled over onto her side and placed a pillow over her ears. "Wake _up_!" Glacier started to nudge her back.

"I wanna _sleep_!" she cried out hitting the bear on the head with her pillow. The door creaked open and Sandry heard light steps. She instantly recognized them as Kwaben's.

"You'll _really_ like this, milady." Kwaben whispered in her ear and before Sandry could do anything scooped her into his arms. She punched him as he tucked the blankets around her, to keep the little warmth in (it had gotten extremely cold above). She tried to punch him again but he had wrapped up her up in a cocoon of blankets. "Glacier, c'mere." And the polar bear happily pranced over. He reached down and grabbed the bear's leash, dipping Sandry dangerously in the process, forcing a scream out of her mouth.

The three of them, Kwaben carrying Sandry and Glacier prancing happily at his feet, stepped out of the room and into the narrow hallway, out of the hatch, and onto the deck. They were back on the surface like Glacier had muttered but it was like nothing she had ever seen, heard of, or imagined. Instead of the normal chill there was a stinging bitter coldness and shining far above them and to the north was a multicolor light show. In the middle of the deck, laying down on a blanket and wrapped up in another one, was Oama, sipping some of the hot fashionable drink called chocolate.

Kwaben gently set her down by Oama and settled onto the pregnant girl's other side, their radiating body warmth and their presence kept the girl warm in the bitter coldness.

"It's the most _beautiful_ thing in the world," Sandry whispered, awed in spite of herself. "What is it?"

"The aurora lights," Troika, one of the men they had first met when they came aboard, said coming to stand by them.

"And you live so near this beauty." Silently adding, _and yet the Titans are still so cruel._

The man grunted. "The Hopians are said to live right beneath it." And then he left.

"_Aurora…"_

Her night-light fell off the little nightstand, really a crate she had placed in here recently, and rolled beneath the bed. The sudden lack of light caused Sandry to wake with a start, barely able to contain her scream. Her baby protested by kicking her under the ribs. After he settled down Sandry tried to bend down and grab her boots only to be kicked harder on her spleen. "You are just like your father!" she scolded him, talking about Briar no longer hurt as it did at the start of her pregnancy.

She was roughly about six months along, she didn't know for sure because it was hard to keep track of days when they were either under water or she was throwing up or staying in bed because of her swollen feet. The baby was active almost all the time now kicking her in various spots and laying on her bladder making her need to go pee. There were times, like when she was musing about Briar, that she didn't mind the baby's kicks, reminding her that her thoughts should be on _him_. But of course there were times, like now, that she could do without them.

She stood up and the ship gave a lurch sending her crashing onto her butt on the floor, with a shriek of pain.

"Are you ok Sandry?" Glacier muttered sleepily from the top of the bed as she looked down at her.

Sandry glared at the bear and tried to stand, but her stomach was too big. Sandry, laughing, told Glacier, "I've _fallen_ and I _can't _get up!"

"What's so funny?" the bear asked a little more then confused, but the noble continued to laugh. "I'll go get Oama up." She jumped off of the bed and crawled over to Oama's and using the blankets for ladders Glacier levered herself onto the bed.

"_Glacier!_" Oama shrieked at the polar bear. Sandry noticed her pause as she noticed the lack of light. "Are you here Sandry?" She giggled to let her know as well as for comical relieve from her predicament. "Where are you?"

Sandry giggled again, "On the floor." Oama put her feet on the floor and stood up.

Sandry heard her get on her hands and knees and began to crawl towards her so has not to accidentally hurt the baby. "Why?"

"I've fallen and I can't get up." She shrieked again, laughing.

"I'm so glad you find this amusing." Another lurch rolled the ship and brought the two women's heads together in a clash. Oama got to her feet a few minutes after she had made sure she and Sandry were ok. "Where is your light?" she asked pulling the noble to her own.

"Under the bed." Sandry giggled. Though it was pitch black and they wouldn't be able to see their own hands if it was waved less then an inch from their faces, but Sandry still felt the glare Oama sent her way. "It fell off when the boat first lurched, that's when I woke up."

"And you just had to get up." She bent down and crawled under the bed.

The noble pouted, saying, "I _can't_ sleep in the _dark_!"

"You also can't bend down, but you still try to do that." The room flooded with brilliant light as the woman crawled out from under the bed. Sandry wrapped her arms protectively around her bulging belly like all pregnant women seem to do.

"Thank-you." The girl said taking the stone from her guard, flashing Oama her brightest smile, and cradling it like she was her stomach.

The ship lurched again and Sandry fell backwards onto the bed. "What is going on?" Oama started to ask before the door banged open to reveal a disheveled Kwaben.

He came over, pulled Sandry to her feet, and pulled her and Oama close to him. "Sounds like the ship is running into the shore!" Oama and Kwaben protectively wrapped their arms around their pregnant charge. Glacier left the solitude of Oama's bed and crawled over to where they huddled, digging her claws into Kwaben's boots.

Grating sounds started along with the petrified screams of the people outside. The screams begging to be let in where there was a greater chance of survival and the grating begging to rip people apart. Sandry wondered half-coherently if Kwaben had locked the outside door. "Giant piece of wood is blocking it. It would take hours to remove." He whispered about the door when she had asked him. "I tried to help _but_… if anything happened to you, or your baby, His Grace will kill me… us."

Sandry clung to her light stone and to her three friends, human and animal alike, praying to all the gods, known and unknown to her, for a miracle. She must live to give her baby a chance, to give birth to him, and to raise him. She was all he had and would ever have.

As suddenly as it started the rocking and grating stopped, but the screams of the dying continued. Sandry let go of her guards and sat heavily on her bed, tears running heavily down her face. "Go see if you can open it." She whispered to Kwaben and Oama. Kwaben left instantly but Oama stayed.

Sandry ignored her and buried her face in Glacier's soft fur, who had just wiggled up the bed and lain down by her. She heard Oama rustle around the room when she looked up it was to see the retreating back of a fully clothed Oama. Wearing even the furs, which she hated more then everything.

Sandry cried silently as one by one the screams began to die along with their owners. Sandry knew all of the Titans, from the smallest baby to the sixty-year-old cook, were out there. There had been some sort of party that night and they had been invited to join but Sandry's ankles were swollen and it wasn't good for her baby to be in such freezing temperatures for long and her two guards had said their warm beds beckoned them too much. _If we didn't,_ Sandry shuddered. _We would be dying too! _

An hour or two later the guards returned to find their charge sitting straight backed on the bed. The screams had stopped an hour before. Her guards' faces were glum and Sandry knew without even asking that they still hadn't gotten the door open.

Sandry looked down at her lap and at Glacier's head stared up at her peacefully, trusting her completely and back up at her guards, they had similar looks on their faces. "I'm getting changed. You two search the ship and find the supplies we'll need to survive and anything that will get that door open." She stood up, sending the polar bear tumbling to the ground much to her delight. "We can't stay here. We will surely die that way. Our only hope is to find the Hopians."

Kwaben came over and slung an arm around the girl and said, smiling brightly, "There's the dog we know and love. For awhile we thought we lost ya."

She glared at her two smiling guards. "I'm only doing it for my baby."

"Whatever the reason is, I'm glad your back. More chance of survival." _My **magic**_, the girl thought and realized if she could break the bracelet she could use her magic to keep them warm thanks to Tris's influence.

"Find something to break the bracelet as well, I just hope using my magic won't hurt my baby too much."

Oama snorted. "And all of this won't?" Sandry gave the woman a brilliant smile and shook her head. "Yeah, he's probably too much like his mama." _Or his father!_ Sandry thought as he kicked her in the bladder yet again.

Sandry bent down and picked up her warmest pair of breeches before, while holding them in her hands, she remembered that they no longer fit her, that none of her breeches did. She would have to wear a dress and as it happens her warmest one, a thick burgundy woolen one, lay on the bottom of her trunk. Out of her bulging belly's reach. _**Great**! As if I don't have enough problems. _

Sandry looked up and around, Kwaben and Oama were already gone doing what they had been ordered to. Glacier and her were… "_Glacier_!" she shouted causing the little polar bear, who was tumbling around near Oama's bed, to jump. "Come mere." She beckoned and she bounded over. "Get my woolen gown."

"Which one?" the polar bear asked a little more then confused.

"The thick one." She said pointing at the gown.

"They all look _alike_!" the bear protested in a whiny voice.

"The burgundy one…" Polar bears couldn't see colors Sandry realized. "Look sweetie. It's the one _way _at the bottom. You can't miss it." The bear nodded uncertainly and scampered into the trunk, within moments Sandry had her woolen gown. "Good work." She told Glacier and patted her on the head. "Now, I don't suppose you can help into this." Glacier shook her head. Sandry sighed, "I didn't think so."

Sandry pulled her nightgown off and let it drop to the floor. "It's a good thing I kept my breast band on." Trying to glimpse her invisible feet. "And my stockings." Sandry had been having trouble getting in and out of her clothes lately thanks to her growing child.

Thankfully the gown was large enough to fit over her stomach without all that much pulling. To say the least the burgundy didn't flatter her, not that anything did these days, but this one was worse then all others. This dress bulged in places were there shouldn't be bulges like on the shoulders and mid-calf and it showed her swollen ankles and feet more then she would have liked. But it was warm and it would have to do.

She gathered what little things she thought they would need. She piled blankets, coats, her stone, a few books that could help them later including the one from Summersea, and bags that all this could be carried in on her bed.

Oama returned soon after, as the noble tried to tug fur lined boots on, carrying bags of food, some unfinished maps, and more blankets and coats. Kwaben wasn't with her, but Sandry heard, a moment or so later, grunting and hacking sounds telling her he was chopping down the wooden beam.

"I see you got dressed." Oama snickered dropping her load by Sandry's and coming and helping the girl put on her boots. She eyed Sandry's much larger pile and then her _much _larger belly. "I hope you didn't carry that all at once. It's not…"

"Not good for the baby." Sandry finished for her, getting to her feet. "It's a good thing I brought one or two things onto the bed at a time, then." Oama glared at her and began to put folded up blankets and coats and furs into bags. When she was finished all that was out were three fur coats and her light stone. The first was a bulky black coat, the second a medium sized white one, and the last a small gray one.

"Here!" Oama said, coming over and pulling a small key out of her pants pocket. "This should unlock it." She grabbed Sandry's wrist and pulled it towards her. She unlocked it and dropped it and the bracelet onto the ground.

Oama went over to her bed and picked up the small gray coat and pulled it on. She pulled matching gloves and a hat out of the pockets and put them on. She, then, picked up the white one and handed it to Sandry who slipped it on with a little help from Oama. Then with the black over Oama's arm, and the bags in her hands, the two women and the polar bear left the room and stepped into the disastrous hallway.

The right half of the ship was caved in, freezing water seeped in and out of the cracks. Kwaben was at the end of the hall tearing down the last of the timber.

Oama called out to him and tossed him the fur coat who slipped it on before clearing the last of the wood away so fast that if you blinked you would have missed it. "Ready?" he asked placing his hand on the knob and looking at the women. They nodded and Oama tossed him half the bags. He opened the door into the horror of the outside.

Everyone was dead. All had died of hypothermia. They were all clustered in groups lending body heat to each other, but it hadn't worked. Everyone was dead and couldn't come back. Sandry placed a gloved hand over her mouth and stared at Captain Kiers deformed body, apiece of the mast had broken off and rammed itself through his head. Litters of their party were everywhere, in the dead's hands and all around their feet. It was hard to believe that were they had seen the aurora and where they had heard the black and white creature sing a sad song about almonds was now a sad place of death and destruction.

Someone placed a hand on the girl's arm and pulled her away from the horror and towards the crushed side. She looked up with tear-filled eyes at the person. It was Kwaben, tears running down his face as well.

They hadn't liked them but no one deserved to die frozen in the middle of nowhere, where there was no one can bury them. With no one to pray over there bodies in despair. No, no one deserved to die this way.

"It's not fair." She whispered to him. He patted her arm in silence. Then left her alone with Glacier, gone to comfort Oama.

"Help." A voice on the wind whispered form close by. Snadry looked up and around. There was no one nearby. "I'm so cold." The voice came again as another burst of wind blew across her face. It took Sandry a minute to realize she was hearing it one the wind. But Tris was hundred of miles away so how…? Maybe when they reopened their connection in Namorn? "Help. Please. The wind is so bitter." The wind was coming from the back of her. She turned around and looked around, there was a clump of people not that far from her.

Clicking to Glacier the noble moved towards the pile of bodies, every now and again another burst of the bitter wind blew across her face getting the words stronger with each and every step she took. She was almost to the pile when she realized that the voice belonged to the captain's lover's daughter. Snadry picked up her pace at the thought of the shy little girl she saw holding her mother's hand as the woman did her chores.

It was a big pile, it seemed like every man in the area had come over to save the girl's live and her mother's, Sandry noticed the woman a minute later. _I wonder why she wasn't with the captain. _Sandry thought glancing back at the dead captain and noticing for the first time he wore a wedding ring. _And where is the captain's wife? I never met her. _She looked back and forth between the captain and the young mother. _What kind of woman would turn her back on such a disgrace? It's kind of hard to miss when everyone knew about it. Never mind, I can't worry about that now. I _have _to get that girl out! _

"Kwaben! Oama!" she called over her shoulder to her embraced guards. They, eventually, lumbered over to her, eyes locking onto the pile of dead bodies. "I believe there is a child, _alive_, stuck in there." Neither asked her how she knew, but started to pull the frozen bodies away from the center and sure enough there was a shivering child inside. Sandry bent down and offered open arms to the little girl singing lullabies quietly. Slowly the girl crawled out of her spot from in between her mother and a six-foot black man and into Sandry's arm. Sandry stood up with the six-year-old girl in her arms and the four companions left the ship and their old lives behind.

Kwaben hitched the little girl farther onto his hip and looked back at the dragging noble. It was their third day of walking and none but the little girl had gotten any sleep. About an hour ago Sandry had asked him to carry the little girl they found out was called Marabelle. With each passing minute Sandry fell further and further behind. Kwaben worried that if they didn't find the Hopians soon Sandry's body will go into early labor and the baby will be lost. Kwaben shuddered to think what would happen then.

Sandry wrapped her arms further around her stomach and quickened her pace to catch up with her companions; Glacier had stuck by her side faithfully through the hard times, even though she was excited about being so close to her home and family she wouldn't leave the woman who had tried to save her.

Sandry collapsed in pain clutching her stomach moments later. Glacier looked at her curiously, not knowing what was going on. Kwaben and Oama stopped walking and hurried to her side. They knew what was going on. Kwaben's fears were coming true!

Icy's p.o.v.

I raised my head and sniffed the air for the hundredth time in the past three days, I couldn't believe what I was smelling, my daughter. But the Titans had taken her many months ago almost a year ago and that's why her people didn't trade with the Hopians anymore, they blamed them for the lost of one of their young ones. But still I smelt her.

"Mama?" one of my other cubs, Burg, named after his father, asked coming to stand by me at the head of our cave. "What is wrong?"

Inspiration hit me; Burg had a strong nose like his father maybe… maybe if Glacier really was nearby her little Burgee could smell her. "Burgee come her." The little cub came to his mother's side. "Turn your nose into the northern wind. What do you smell?"

The cub's eyes widened in surprise, he turned his black eyes on his mother and whispered, so as not to wake the other cubs, "It's Glacier, Mama and there are _humans_ with her. They're heading our way."

"Burg stay by your siblings I must go speak with the council." The cub nodded his head and retreated further into the cave. I turned my snot towards the wind, took one last sniff of my daughter, and headed towards the council cave.

"Snowlia!" I said, addressing the head councilor as I made my entrance into the cave. At the back sat the four council members my husband Burg among them. They were all laying down on a raised ice platform that allows them all a view of whomever has a complaint or warning.

"Icy what is it?" the wizened old polar bear asked, looking up from her conversation with Hail, a cruel male bear who complained about everything and everyone. My husband looked up at me in shock and started towards me, but Windo, my husband's brother stopped him with a paw to his chest. Things must be followed through according to tradition. Only the elder of the council/of the tribe could address the problems first.

"My son and I _both_ smelled it."

"Smelled what?" she calmly asked of me.

"We both smelled Glacier. She is north of us and… with humans."

"_Titans_?" Hail growled at me, I shrugged. "_Hopians_? She-bear you _must _give us details."

"I don't know. Burg is to young to have met many of either of them." I turned my back on them, Burg, my husband, called out to me demanding where I was going. "To get our cub back." And I bounded out of the council cave and into the swirling snow. Three of the council followed, I heard Windo bark out the distress signal calling all males to help. Other bears bounded out and, with Burg and me in the lead, we exited our tribe and dashed towards the place where our cub was waiting, more then likely with Titans.

Eventually Burg took the lead. His amazing nose, able to pick up any scent within three hundred feet (**a/n: I don't know if that's possible so I made it up.**), leading us onward. A few times Hail or another male shouted for me to turn back but I needed to see my little Glacier for myself, _first_. Every moment we stopped for Burg to trace the scent I panted thinking this time he would say he smelt her blood instead of her fur, but he would just bound off again into the growing snowstorm.

Finally we saw shapes not that far from us. There was a human female, pregnant by the looks off her, collapsing in the snow. My daughter Glacier was by her, without a leash, companionably. Three more humans, a male and a female, the male carrying a small human cub, were a foot ahead of them, but seeing or hearing the girl fall they rushed to her side.

Normal P.O.V.

She knew she was in labor but it was way too soon, the baby wouldn't survive in this bitter coldness. She wouldn't make it either. She tried to force herself to stand, but it felt like her stomach was being ripped open, so she stayed where she was. She bit back a scream and forced herself not to push.

"Who are you?" a growling voice asked from above her. Sandry forced herself to look up into the face of Glacier's mother and father. How she knew they were she didn't know. Family resemblance? Maybe from all the time she spent with Glacier?

"Mama? Papa? Is it really you?" the young polar bear whispered stepping up to her parents and then rushing forward and bumping her head against their furry bodies. The two bears nodded in sync, then stared suspiciously at the four humans. Glacier looked back and forth between her parents, with all the male of the tribe behind them, and her friend Sandry and realization dawned on her, they thought they were Titans. "This is Sandry, my bestest, best friend, she tried to save me from the Titans but ended up being caught herself." The bear said, bashfully. "The man and woman are Kwaben and Oama, her guards. The little cub is Marabelle."

Her father sniffed the air above the little girl's head. "_She_ is a Titan."

"So, you'll blame a child for her nation's mistakes." Sandry growled in pain at the grown bear.

The bear looked down at her in shock. He didn't believe she would have the ability to talk now, Ivelane knows his wife didn't when in birth of _their_ cubs. "How _do_ you manage to sound so fierce in such _undignified_ position?" The noble woman scowled at him and bit back another scream of pain.

"Should we move her?" asked an older male bear grumpily.

"It _could_ be dangerous, Hail," Glacier's mother said addressing the older, mateless, bear, which grunted to show he was listening.

"Wouldn't it _also_ be dangerous for her to give birth in the _snow_, considering she, and her cubs, are _human_?" Another of the males asked.

"Make up your…" Sandry started to say before being cut off by another wave of labor pains ripping through her petite form. When the pain had subsided Sandry was unconscious, the pain had proven to be too much for her.

She was warm and comfortable in a bed. There was no sunlight where she lay. But there was light, strange light, but light all the same. Thank the gods there was light. But where was she? The last thing she remembered was being in the snow, in labor. In _labor!_ What happened? Was her baby ok?

Sandry sat up in the bed she was in and looked around. She was in a beige room with beige carpeting and beige sheets and comforters. Other then the bed the only furniture was a dresser. But she still did not know where she was. She didn't know where her baby was or what happened to him.

Sandry swung her feet out of the bed and stood up. She was in a simple white nightgown that she hoped another woman had changed her into. She stepped towards the door and just as she reached out for it, it swung open to reveal an older woman with gray hair streaked white wearing a light blue kimono. In her arms she carried two small bundles.

"_Ah_… I thought you might be up." The woman said in a weary voice. Sandry looked at the stranger with raised eyebrows. "Sit, sit. You must tell me your story."

"Where's my baby?"

The woman chuckled. "What do you think I'm carrying? Both of your babies are healthy. Yes, I said babies, you had twins." She added when the young mother opened her mouth to speak. "Please come take them off a tired old woman." Sandry hurried forward and took her twins out of the woman's arms. "They are beautiful young girls."

"I guess I should be glad they're girls, they'll be much easier to handle, especially considering who their father is." Sandry sank down on her bed, cradling her children to her chest. "What is your name?"

"I forgot to introduce myself? Well, it doesn't matter now; my name is Gwen, Sandrilene. Before you ask Kwaben and Oama, not to mention the Ice Tribe, told me your name." Gwen sat down by the girl on the bed. "They told me you used to live in Emelan." Sandry nodded, still hypnotized by her daughters. "Do you wish to return?"

Sandry stood by and went over to the curtained window. "Where am I? Are you one of the Hopians?"

"Yes, and you're in the city of Hope. Open the window." The girl did as she was told and gasped in surprise. Hope was a large city… _underground_. There were gardens and pools and everything else a city needed to survive. At the top of houses, along the cavern's walls, on its ceilings there were crystals that shown with light much like her own. Through the ceiling you could see the Aurora lights. All of this was shocking, but what was the most was that through the left wall, facing the ocean you could see those almond song-singing creatures swimming along with littler versions of themselves and, of course polar bears. Near the northern entrance was a port, where a lone ship was unloading with a long tunnel yawning behind it.

"Always has been a beautiful sight." Gwen said coming to stand by her. "The larger creatures are called whales, the smalled penguins." Gwen turned around and mioved back to the bed sitting on it heavily.

"When the Kurchal Empire fell, our people came here by complete accident. Sixty percent of our population is made up of mages. We have every type of mage out there, because we need magic to survive. The Titan's mages are few and in between and all of them know the same type of magic, the one where they raise that bubble of theirs and one to make a medicine that can cure anything." She smiled wickedly at the young mother. "Which our mages can do now thanks to you and your companions."

"What do you mean?"

"You brought back some of the bottles of the medicine, which our plant mages are now, as we speak, working to decipher, and brought back a book that contained the bubble spell.

"Will you stay or will you go?"

Without thinking Sandry said, "I'll stay."

The woman chuckled, "I thought as much. _Now_… what should these girls' names be?"

Sandry smiled at the woman and looked towards the curtained windows and then down at her daughters, "I know the perfect names. They will be…"

Put your shotguns down you'll know soon enough. Well… more or less.

Review please!


	7. Shifting Through

**Disclaimer**: I own **nothing**!

This chapter is just drabble, I did it to explain different pieces of their lives since separating. Everyone you finally find out whom Tris is with. Yah! You also find out the twin's names, nicknames really. Sorry i haven't updated in awhile, we got a new computer, the old one was given to my aunt, i had play reheasals every night till late, and then it was stuck on a floppy disk and it only occured to me a few minutes ago that even though my new computer didn't have word i could easily download it from the floppy onto here, some honrroll student i am.

**Need to know**:

1)Aoorie- (_a-oar-a_) do not pronounce it as a-oar-e

2)Merri is Marabelle

3)Gwen is the leader of the Hopians

4)My best friend is ridiculous

**5)(Any thing like this is an author's note)**

Now on with the show!

**Chapter Seven: Shifting Through**

"We have a present for you." Gwen said stepping into the young mother's room. "Come with me."

Sandry looked up from where she was _trying_, and so far _failing_, to wrestle a diaper on the three month old Allah. Aoorie, her twin, lay in her crib not far away. "I don't have time to now." Gwen came over and took the impossible task off of the still inexperienced mother and got it down in a few seconds. "Thank-you, now, I just have to get her to take her nap."

"You'll have time for that later." Gwen said picking up little Allah and slipping her nightgown on. "Grab Aoorie and come on."

Sandry went over to the crib and looked at the quieter of her two daughters. The baby looked up at her through her gray-green eyes, her _father's_ eyes, and cooed. Sandry lifted the baby out and followed Gwen out the door. She snuggled the baby closer to her when they left Gwen's overlarge house, even though it was pleasantly warm.

The woman led her down Market Street and across Baker Street and onto Gleeman Street. She led the young mother over to a three-story brick house with lavish gardens in the front. There was a swing out front and on the wrap around porches were rocking chairs, Sandry had often admired this house when she took walks with her daughters.

The owner, a middle-aged woman with blond hair, stepped off of the porch carrying a tray of lemonade. "Come sit on the porch." Sandry looked at Gwen suspiciously and then followed the two women back onto the porch. "Sit, Sit." The woman, who Sandry soon found out was called Jean, ushered her into a chair then started to gossip good-naturedly as she poured drinks. "I hear you love my house." Jean stated out of the blue causing Sandry to spill a bit of the lemonade onto Aoorie's face, who licked it up giggling. "My husband is dead, my son, Allan, has recently left home to travel with the merchant ships, and I have no use for all this space. I am giving it to you and am moving in with Gwen." Sandry opened her mouth to protest. "I don't need all this space. This house was made for a family and _your_ family needs it more then mine. My son won't mind. He never even liked this house."

"Thank-you, but… but I can't just take it for free."

"I hear you are bloody wicked with a needle and a thread," the girl nodded, "sell your works here and by ship you can pay me back in a year flat." The woman sat heavily back into her chair and stared at Sandry. "There is one more thing, raise those girls to be as strong as their mama."

Sandry looked at her two daughters, Aoorie cooing peacefully in her arms and the rebellious Allah tugging on one of Gwen's curls. "I don't think I'll have to." She said sarcastically. "They already are."

There hadn't been a sign of her even after nine months. With each passing day, after the first month of frantic searching, Tris had to watch her brother Briar slip further and further into depression. Nothing she, Daja, or Rosethorn said could help him. He started to take his meals alone, would stay up on the deck for countless hour, and went days without sleep. It hurt that she could do nothing to help him. It hurt all of them.

She and Niko, who had joined them on the spur of the moment, had tried to scry her but to no avail. All they did was tire themselves out, landing them in bed for countless days of recovery and the rolling of the ship did nothing to help their recovery.

They were reentering Summersea harbor today. She would see him again and even through her own sadness she was excited.

Niko must have sensed her excitement for he stepped up to the rail by her. "You look happy today," he said. "Who is he?"

"Who's who?" she countered blushing despite herself.

"_Last_ time you acted this… _giddy_ there was a boy involved. I believe his name was…"

"Albert." She finished, sourly. "Then he and his friends dumped a vat of honey on me."

The man chuckled. Tris glared at her former teacher. "It still amazes me that you didn't kill them." He sobered up when a wind started to push him off the boat. "It was funny, but _enough_! Who is this boy?"

"It's just Keth," she said as uncaring as she could as the Summersea's harbor came into view. "He promised to visit with me when we got back." She looked down at the gray dress she was wearing then back towards the harbor. "Excuse me." And hurried off down the hatch, to get changed.

"It's silly." Briar said, coming to stand by Niko. "Just yesterday she was worried sick about San… about all this. Now she acts like she has no cares in the world."

The older man clapped the younger on the back. "She is getting on with her life, as will Daja, and as will you."

Briar pulled away from him as Tris ran back up from the hatch wearing a dark blue cotton gown. "Not without her." He promised, moving away from him and back into his own little world.

"Oh Briar that's not healthy." Niko said, as the gangplank attached the ship to the dock. All the tired sailors trudged out of the boat and towards their awaiting homes and families till the only people left were the excited Tris, sullen Briar, Daja, Rosethorn, and Niko. Briar glared in his direction before jumping onto the plank and walking, shoulders slouched, towards Cheeseman Street, towards the house he shared with his two foster sisters. Rosethorn sighed at his retreating back and started down the gangplank, heading into the rickety carriage Moonstream had sent for her. Niko and Daja left together heading towards the citadel to give His Grace their news and seeing, and praying, if any of the other ships had any luck.

Tris was the last to leave. She walked down the gangplank and walked down familiar streets till she was in front of the Dragonfly inn. She stepped up to the door and pushed it open. She looked around. Everything was just as she remembered it. There was their table in the right hand corner. Pictures of scenery was the same as were the ones of women and children, the ones they had used to joke about the possible different meanings they had. Exactly as it had been almost a year ago when Briar and Sandry had told them of their engagement.

She pushed those sad/happy moments away and looked around the room for the reason she was here. There he was, exactly as she remembered him. He still had that white patch in the center of his, otherwise, perfect blond hair. His blue eyes still held a little crackle of lightening.

He hadn't heard her come in, so she snuck up behind him, bent down, and whispered, "Anyone sitting here?"

"No there isn't Tris." He said without looking up at her. She sat across from him and the two old friends started to talk about their time together in Tharios and what each as been up to since they had last seen each other.

"_Allah! Get back here_!" she shouted chasing a naked one-year-old baby. She was trying to give Allah and her twin sister Aoorie a bath. Aoorie, the more peaceful of the two, sat on her bed wrapped up in a towel with the Sandry's former guard Oama watching over her, waiting to be dressed. Merri, the eight-year-old girl Sandry had adopted over a year ago sat in her room doing some of the complicated cat cradles Sandry had recently taught her, she had, quite accidentally, found out the girl had thread magic.

"Ivelane help you when I catch you!" Sandry scolded dashing quickly around the dining room table and scooping the child into her arms. Allah whimpered and put her arms around her mother. Sandry's anger at the little one faded as quickly as it came. "You have to obey," she told Allah leading the way back up into the room the two twins shared. "It's hard enough, even when you do," she snuggled the child closer to her, "you have to behave." she repeated.

Quite a few months ago, when they had first, meaning Allah, started sleeping through the night, Kwaben had moved the cribs into a room down the hall after painting the room in bright blues and yellows mixing in some places to make several different shades of green. Set in between the two cribs was a small table and on it, glowing all day and night, was her old nightlight, which for some reason she didn't need any more to sleep through the night, not even as a reminder for her old life.

Mother and daughter entered the bedroom; Sandry slipped her naked baby into the now cold water. "_Told_ Mama, _Told_!"

Sandry smiled sadly at her daughter and said firmly, "It's your own fault, live with it. Maybe tomorrow it'll be warm." Sandry bent down and, as quickly as she could, scrubbed the baby and took her out of the cold water, when she would normally had allowed her to splash around. "Will you behave now?" She asked wrapping the shivering baby into a towel. Allah nodded. "Good. Now it's time to get dressed and go to bed." Sandry tried to not talk to her babies like they were, well, babies.

Allah had learned her lesson, at least for tonight, and she sat peacefully in the towel as her mama dressed Aoorie and tucked her into her crib and allowed Sandry to do the same to her with little struggle, the little struggle was when she tried to tuck her in blankets.

"Stoy?" Aoorie whispered hugging her blankets to herself. Sandry nodded after a moment's thought. "Gwacer?" Sandry knew instantly that her babies wanted to hear about how she met Glacier, it was something she told them every night since they were newborns and when they were in her womb. Sandry settled down into the rocking chair in the corner of the room and started the story quietly, her voice urging them to sleep. And they were even before the story was half over.

Sandry stood up and looked around, it seems Oama had slipped out of the room was she was talking with the girls. Sandry sighed and, not before kissing her daughters, left the room. It had been an exhausting day, between taking care of the twins and getting her orders ready she didn't have a second to herself. Sandry walked down the oak staircase and into the small kitchen, just as she thought, Oama was sitting at the counter making sandwiches.

"Have you picked a date?" Sandry asked, sitting down on the stool across from her. Oama and Kwaben had finally agreed to get married after they had agreed to stay here in Hope with her. The only problem was that they still couldn't agree on a date.

"He still insists on the day we came here." It was over a year away. "I want it in a month." That was way too soon.

"Ever here of compromising?" Sandry asked sarcastically earning a glare from the older woman. "Why not in five months time?"

The woman thought for a moment. "I'll run it by him tonight." Sandry took one of the two sandwiches and quickly stuffed it down her throat.

She yawned. "I think I'll go to bed now. Big day tomorrow."

She stood up and left, but not before catching Oama's parting words. "Every day is a big day for you with the twins." Smirking, Sandry went back upstairs and went into the master bedroom; thankful for the life she now led. Hectic as it was.

"Where _is_ he?" she asked for the thousandth time pacing around the floor of the two-room suite, copper hair in curlers. "He promised to be back for my _wedding_!" Tris complained, stopping in front of the smiling Lark. "It's bad enough," she whispered, "that Sandry can't be here." Lark busied herself fixing the girl's simple white gown and pretended not to hear, any mention of Sandry was still a sore spot for the dedicate.

"He'll be here." Lark promised. "Come get into your dress." Tris stopped her pacing and stood still for Lark to put the dress into place even though she hated when she must get her dresses fitted or put on.

The door opened and in came Dedicate Rosethorn and behind her eleven-year-old Glaki. "Is he here yet?"

"Yes I am." Briar Moss, her foster brother, said sauntering into view from behind his teacher. Tris hurried forward and gave the boy a hug; he hugged her back tightly for a moment before holding her back at arm's length. "You look beautiful Copper Curls." _She couldn't have looked better even if Sandry had made her dress_, Briar admitted to himself. Her name didn't hurt as much as it had a year ago, but on some days it took all he had not to cry.

"Now, we can get her hair ready." Briar couldn't stop himself, he snorted. "Briar behave or you'll have to leave." Lark warned him.

"Who's walking you down the aisle?" Briar asked, watching as they turned Tris normally braided hair into a mass of springy curls at the top of her head. "I seriously doubt you invited dear Papa Chandler."

"Niko." She replied, glaring at him and patting her cheeks to bring more color into them. Tris continued toscowl at him, but then she suddenlysmiled. It was good he was getting some of his old sense of humor back, even if he was using it at her expense.

"No." Lark, Rosethorn, and the girl left the room to see how everything else was going. "Did you have any luck?"

"No," he said, slipping back into his old depression, "but I'm not ready to give up."

"Most men would have given up by now." She pointed out, standing. "It's been over a year."

"I _love_ her." He said, also standing. "His Grace isn't ready to give up and neither am I."

"His Grace is being a fool," said a voice from the doorway. The two friends turned around to see Niko and Moonstream standing in the doorway. Moonstream was doing the talking. "His health worsens each and every day. If he keeps worrying so much about her he won't last another year. You're not doing so good yourself." She pointed out. It was true Briar looked like he hadn't eaten or slept for days. Tris knew if it weren't her wedding day he would be wearing rumpled clothing and would be unshaven. "It's time for the both of you to let her go."

Briar scowled at those in the room and left. Tris ran after him and caught him before he entered the wedding hall. "They're right. I hate to admit it, but their right. Only you can convince Duke Vedris to pronounce her dead." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It kills you now, it'll kill me and Daja too, but if you wait, it'll be worse."

"What if she's alive and hurt and waiting for me to rescue her?"

_If she was we would be able to feel her,_ Tris pointed out through their connection. "Her line to us is dead. We must accept the fact that she is as well."

"I'll talk to His Grace later." He promised moving away from her and into the hall, his voice ringing with pain and remorse and betrayal.

"Can I help you?" Sandry asked opening the door to a disheveled looking sailor. He had scraggly brown hair, a five-o'clock shadow, and wearing grubby sailor's clothes, a pack over his shoulder.

"You the maid?" he asked, pushing past Sandry and into the house.

Sandry propped her fists on her waist and glared at the man. "_No_! Who just are you?"

"Oh, then your visiting Ma then." _He's Jean's son and she hadn't told him I bought the place._ And she had, she paid off the last of her debt just a month ago.

"Your Jean's son?"

"No! I just barge into stranger's houses and demand to see my mother. Where is she?"

"She's at Gwen's."

The man dropped his pack in the middle of the walkway and sank into one of the chairs near the door. "I'll wait here then. Did the maid let you in?"

How could she tell him? He wasn't that much older then her, what if he had come home to start a family in his own home? "There is no maid."

"So, you broke in." He asked leaning back. Sandry shook her head. "Ma, ask you to watch the house?"

"_Sort of_." She answered throat tightening up. "You have to leave." She spat out.

The man looked at her from beneath raised eyebrows. "I have to leave my own home?"

"Jean obviously didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" the man asked closing his eyes.

"I think it would be best if you went to Gwen's and asked her."

"Why don't you tell me?"

"It's none of my business." She insisted pulling him out of the chair. Though in some ways it was.

"It must be if you're trying to get rid of me." Allowing himself to be pulled out of the chair and to the door.

"Just _GO_!" She said, shoving him out of the still open door.

Sandry went to slam it, but the sailor, Jean's son, put his foot in the way, jamming the door. "Only if you tell me _or_ you _could_ give me a little kiss!"

Given the two choices Sandry decided to just tell him the truth and said, very tackily, "I bought this house off of your mother." She pushed his foot away and slammed the door in his face, feeling slightly guilty, and slightly proud of herself.

Breaking his own heart, not to mention His Grace's, Briar did what he promised and convinced the Duke to stop looking for Sandry. He knew he would too, no matter how much it hurts. Briar on the other hand, made no such promises and was on his way to see some people who he can pay to search for her secretly. In other words so his two meddling sisters won't know.

He entered the dingy looking inn and sat at the back table as planned. The two men would approach him in a few minutes and the plans and the money (half of it really.) will switch hands. He was giving them a gold agraib **(sp?) **now and another one each time they entered Summersea port, once or twice a year, and they were going to give him a detailed list of where they were going, which ports they'll be stopping at, and where they'll search for the pirate's ship.

"Ye Briar Moss?" a dirty man asked him. He nodded curtly at him, letting him know who the boss was. The man gave a jerk of his head and another, identical to the last dirt patch, came up. "Ye wanting to 'ire us?"

"I need to track someone."

"Who?" the second man asked.

"Names first." Briar demanded. "I need to know you're the men I asked for."

"Me name is Patrick and me brother is Robb." The first man said.

Briar nodded again. "She's my fiancée she was kidnapped a year ago."

"_Aye_, Lady Sandrilene. That'll be tough."

"Why?"

"We knows practically evebry pirate ship, never heard of that ships though. Aye, that'll be very though." Robb said, shaking his head, sadly.

"But, you'll still do it?"

"Is there still a gold agraib involved?" Briar nodded. "Aye, then, we'll do it." The two men handed Briar an envelope, and took the offered agraib and left on theirs and Briar's journey.

"_Push_!" The mid-wife shouted into Oama's ear. The woman gripped her husband's hand and one of Sandry's as she pushed out her first-born child. "Just a little more." The woman urged as Oama cursed at Kwaben. "I can see the head."

Sandry closed her eyes to stop herself from looking down there at the crowning head. She was curious but she knew she would faint if she dared to take a peek. (**A/n: I saw my cousin give birth a few years back, and let me tell you it's the most amazing thing in the world, **_**especially**_** the crowning part. But Sandry seems like the type of person who wouldn't fully **_**appreciate**_** it.) **So she sat by Oama with her eyes closed giving her her quiet support.

"It's almost out!" The mid-wife shouted. Seeing how much pain her friend was in, Sandry was glad that she had been unconscious for_ most_ of the twin's births. She had been lucky; she didn't have to experience all of this pain. _Or give someone a lot of pain; _Sandry grimaced as Oama squeezed her hand as she pushed again.

There were a few moments of quiet as they waited with battered breaths. Then the room was filled with the shrieking of healthy lungs as the mid-wife held up Oama and Kwaben's newborn, their first child. "It's a girl!" she proclaimed. "Name her, so we can all go home." Kwaben and Sandry snorted, they both knew it would take hours before Oama felt strong enough to stand, let alone walk.

The mid-wife lay the baby girl into Oama's arms and Sandry and her took a few steps back so the couple could decide on a name.

"We've decided." Kwaben said, ten minutes later, a small tremble of joy in his voice. "We're going to name her after our mothers."

"Sasha for mine and Elizabeth for his."

"Now Aoorie and Allah have a cousin to play with." Sandry said, smiling wickedly. The couple paled simultaneously like she knew they would. Allah had recently gotten into the habit of hitting everyone; including her twin and mother, and no matter how Sandry punished her she still continued to do it. "Calm down I was just joking. I seriously don't know what I'm going to do with her."

"She'll grow out of it. Hopefully." Kwaben said to the young mother, hugging his wife and daughter.

Yet another year had gone by and still there was no sign of Sandry or the pirate ship. It was like they had disappeared under the ocean. Today though wasn't about Sandry today was about Tris and Keith and their new born son Dijon. Briar and Daja were in a carriage and was on their way to visit them and see the little baby in Tris new home, a three-story white washed house down on New Man Street.

"Hello?" Daja called as she opened the front door.

"In here." Came Keth's voice from the living room. Keth popped his head out and smiled at the two friends. "You've _got _to see him, he's the _most_ adorable thing _ever_."

"All parents think that." Daja said, following them into the next room.

"At least till they start shooting off lightning." Tris said sarcastically. "How are you two? You haven't visited me since a month ago."

"So, we're the only ones with legs now." Briar joked pulling up a seat and sitting by the bed.

"Well, I've been on bed rest so… _yes_!" she shot at him. "You want to hold him?"

"Babies… _nah_, not my thing." He said, jumping from his chair and backing to the other side of the room.

"Daja?" she asked, holding the baby out to the black woman.

"Unlike our boy, I like babies." She said, gently taking him from his mama.

"You would have been singing a different tune if he was your own." Keth told the younger man settling on the bed by his wife and putting his arm around her.

"But he's not." Briar said, bitterly, leaning against the wall, watching his two sisters oh and caw over the baby, wishing it was Sandry and him.

"Yes?"

"'Lo Sandry," the person greeted her from the doorway. She had answered from the screened in sunroom, where she was working on a nightgown for Allah. Allah had ripped her's last week when Oama and Kwaben were watching her, yet again. That girl didn't know how to care probably for her own clothes, even with an overbearing stitch-witch for a mother.

"Hey, Allan," she greeted him back. The last time he was here they hadn't been on good terms, but now they were becoming close friends and he was like a father figure, when he was in town, to the twins. "When did you get back?" He left last month with his ship; he had started his own business, in search of some rare spices.

"Yesterday," he said, stepping into the room and messing up the three-year-old Aoorie's hair before sitting across from her.

"Did ya get any boo-boos?" Aoorie asked good naturedly, leaving her little spindle on the ground and up-ing herself on the man's lap.

"Me? _Nah_! But Peter did." Peter was his first man and another "father" to the girls.

"Ma! Ma! Can me and Allah go down and help him heal the boo-boos?" She asked blue-green eyes wide with fear for her friend. Sandry nodded. And the girl ran out of the room screeching for Allah, who was making bread in the kitchen with "Grandma" Gwen, to come, Peter had boo-boos and they were going to take care of him.

"I didn't expect you back till another few months at least." She said, suspecting he needed her help with something or other when he told her daughter about Peter and, then, didn't accompany them, he adored both of her girls, treated them like her own.

"I found a boy."

"A boy?"

"In the sea. Almost engulfed. We barely got him in time."

"What has this got to do with me?"

"He has Ice Magic." Ice magic was Hope mage's specialty. They controlled ice and other cold objects in the artic and could write on the wind. "He can't train on my ship because a new ice mage is dangerous. I was wondering…"

"He'll stay here. What's his name?"

"Joseph."

"While you get Joseph, I'll set up his room."

"Thanks Sandrilene." He said, patting her foot and bounding out of the house.

"_Uncle_!" Clover's four-year old son Moline said, running forward and throwing himself at Briar. Clover and her son lived with Tris and Keth; Clover helped her care for her son while she was pregnant.

"Hey, buddy." Briar said, spinning him quickly around and setting the boy back on his feet. "How's your Mama?"

"Good," the boy said, running a few steps ahead. "Did ya see the new baby?"

Tris had given birth to her second child, Briar had just gotten the news at his house. This time it was a girl and they had no clue what to name her and wanted help. For some weird reason they called him and not Daja, who is working at her forge on Cheeseman Street.

Briar had gotten his own home several months ago, when, more then once, Patrick and his brother showed up demanding money, Briar still didn't want his sisters to know, especially since over four years as gone by. And yet he knew they had their suspicions, but they still hadn't confronted him about it. Which is always a good thing.

"No, I didn't. Come show me." He teased the boy. The boy grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house.

"Aunt Tris, he's here." Moline shouted rushing, pulling Briar with him, into the living room. Tris sat in her usual simple gray dress, the newborn cradled in her arms. Keth sat in a chair by the bed, holding the one-year old Dijon. Dijon smiled at his uncle and reached out for him.

Soon after the boy was born, Tris had gotten him over his reluctance to hold the baby and Dijon had become his favorite person in the whole world. It happened when Briar was named the godfather and was forced by the priests to hold him. Like Tris knew would happen.

"Hi Briar." Keth greeted him. He nodded to the older man and his brother-in-law.

"Wanna hold little Lene?" Tris asked, holding the baby out to him.

"Sure… you decided on a name."

"We decided when she was born, it's not official yet, but…um... I wanted your permission."

"You want to name her Sandrilene."

"It's my way of remembering her and my prayers that she will turn out half as kind and sweet."

"I… I like it." Briar came over and took the newborn from Tris's arms. She had her father's eyes in contrast to Dijon, who had Tris's. "She already has her eyes." The two old friends laughed and Briar passed back Lene to her. Briar sat at the edge of the bed and they talked about all manners of things and for a moment Briar was the same old Briar.

"Ex-excuse me," a scared looking maid asked edging into the room. "Is Master Moss here?"

"Hello, Mona." He greeted her, raising a hand in greeting. She had been Tris's maid since before Dijon was born and like all Tris's past maids, she was a fidgety woman.

"You got a message from your house, a man is there who wishes to speak to you, your manservant said it was about your ships."

Without a goodbye Briar ran out of the room and out of the house. He started to run towards his house.

Thanks to all who reviewed. Review again, I love reviews.

There are ten pages in this, don't know why i'm telling you, but i think you would like to know.


	8. Liam's Warning

**disclaimer:** i don't own Tamora Pierce's circle of magic

**Things to know:**

1) i had to re-type this chapter, because my floppy needed to be formatted so that's why it took so long to get out

2) the twins' eyes are the type that switch color, one day they might be blue, another day green, etc.

3) if this seems different from my other chapters it's because of the rewrite

**Purple Flowers and Blue Grass**

**Chapter eight: Liam's Warning**

_'...maybe...' _he thought, _'...three months early...maybe... maybe, they've found her... or a clue of her... maybe_.' He rushed down the street, down Bakers Lane. Past the colorful bright houses of Summersea and down the dirty side streets and alleys, then he was there. His house.

His house was much like Daja's. A two story white-washed house. The only real differences in their outsides appearances were that Briar's house didn't have an attached forge. They both had lavish gardens in the front. Briar also had gardens in both the back and on the sides. The flower garden was in the front, urging prospective medicine, or plant, buyers to come forth and into his domain. His herbs took up the side as did some of his favorite grown trees. In the back was where he grew his fruits and vegetables, but there was also a small greenhouse, where he housed his exotic plants and his valuable _shakkens_.

He composed his face and made it calm, if not they would believe they were in charge and demand a higher price for the information. He walked quickly wand firmly in strides to his front door and down the stones his ex-student Evvy had placed as a house warming gift. The glowed briefly as his feet touched them, his magic, green magic, ran through them and activated the spells that lay dormant in them. The greenery that were trying to creep into them, in between their cracks, scuttled back. Anyone seeing this would scuttle back as well.

"Master Moss..." his servant Verlaine said, as fidgety as one of Tris's. She was normally firm and demanding, knowing when something she was doing was correct or not. She never hesitated to demand things of him, answers or a raise. He valued her and her work a lot, so he put up with it. Her normally free black hair was sharply pulled back into a bun, no stray hair hung loose flirtatiously, like it would have it was one of his hired men. This wasn't Patrick and his brother.

"Who is the caller who called me from family matters?" he demanded, coldly, watching as she flinched away from the door that led to his study. I wasn't going to be someone he was going to be glad to see. Not to mention he had his rock hard maid scared witless.

"He never gave his name master," It wasn't going to be someone he wanted to see. She led the way to the door. "Do you wish for me to bring refreshments?" Briar waved at her, giving her a signal to wait till his judgement.

Briar opened the door and Verlaine stepped gratefully back into the shadows. The room was composed of soft blues and dark reds.The walls were hung with rich blue tapestries as well as light blue. The couches and chairs that were scattered around the room and around his big oak desk were a deep burgundy red. There was a big bay window that opened up to the right side garden, the blue drapes were now closed. The fireplace behind his esk gave off a faint glow, only a small burned there today because of the heat outside (a/n: this chapter takes place in the late spring/ early summer). The floor was covered with a thick, dark red carpet and on the walls sat his favorite _shakkens_ and his books. On one of the two wing chairs on either side of the bay window sat his visitor.

The visitor looked like he hadn't washed in months, he had long black hair that was knotted and matted with leaves and what looked, and smelled, like some kind of alcohol beverage. His cold green eyes stared hard at the green mage. His clothes were in tatters, black leggings with a leg cut off mid thigh. The white shirt lay in stripes, showing off bits of his skin. He wore no shoes, only wrapped cloth protected his feet from the elements. He was a far cry from the man Briar had meet almost five years previous, Liam Vanderschie, former Baron of Vanderschie lands. Clover's ex-husband. He remembered, vaguely, that His Grace had emptied the Vanderschie's from their title, money, and power, all that lay in wait for Clover's son. But what was he doing here? The man who had indirectly caused Sandry to be taken from him?

"It's a pleasure to see you again, _Master _Moss." Liam said, making _Master_ sound like something disgusting and wrong.

Briar glared at him, taking a seat behind his desk. Nonchalantly he picked up a piece of paper, it was his sales report from the last two months. Ignoring Liam he went about recording it into his little black financial book. When he finished, a half hour later, he finally looked up at Liam. He was once again sitting in his wing chair. Briar glared at him again, "You have five minutes, stand and talk or leave now."

He waited for an answer for all of five seconds before Liam started slowly, "I hear your still looking for that whore fiancee of yours... oops, I meant to say Lady Sandry." It took all of Briar's self-control not to jump from his chair. He just grabbed the arm of his chair tightly. "I have some news that might be of some interest to you." still Briar said nothing. "I know where she is."

"Liar!" he couldn't hold back the rage any more. "How would you...?" a sly smile formed over Liam's ragged features.

_flashback; six months previous_

He was a sailor now, not a noble _Liam reminded himself as he woke one morning to a rocking feeling_. He was on a boat, in the arctic. The _cold hit him as he swung his feet out of the bed and into his boots. _damn her! _He cursed the woman he blamed for putting him in this mess_. Clover.

_How he hated that woman! If she hadn't gone running to that... that street rat that dared to call himself an accredited mage, none of this would have happened! He blamed every little thing that happened to him since on her. It felt worse when he found out their child was boy and was a mage. He had been forbidden to go anywhere near them._

_Liam grumbleda bit as he pulled on an extra layer of clothing to protect him from the blistering bitter, cold wind. Suddenly he was thrown backwards against his bed and hit his head against the small chest that served as his dresser._ "Damn it all to hell!"_ he cursed, standing up and looking around the room. His normally neat and orderly room was a havoc wreck.His chest of clothes had fallen over when his head bumped it and spilled the various clothing he had managed to afford after Duke Verdis had stripped him of his title and a few of his family heirlooms he kept hidden from the other sailors at the bottom of his trunk out of fear they would take them. His bunk had been overturned throwing, his ratty blanket and pillow thrown to the floor._

_Liam growled in disgust at the captain, the man who normally steered the ship in the right direction, and his first mate. He stomped out of his room and into the narrow the narrow hallway, he wasn't the only one, men still half-dressed, naked, or, like him, dressed, emerged from their rooms. All of them looked as confused as he was. The group, including the somewhat reluctant Liam, made their way up the narrow stairway and onto the dirty the dirty deck._

_There was chaos everywhere. The sailors were running around, tying themselves to the mast, one of the many cannons that lined the railing, or throwing themselves down on the ground begging for the gods to spare them. Their ship, the_ Mary Ellen III_, was running into the icy shore.Great chunks off wood were already being pulled off the haul by the ragged icy edges. The icy path was leading them into a ship graveyard of sorts, where hundreds of abandoned, rotten, and iced ships lay, skeletons were visible, frozen as well, with their masts pinning them. Liam knew that if he went to the edge of their ship and looked down into the clear water he would see more dead bodies of the ships' men. He shuddered at the thought._

Am I going to die? _he couldn't help but ask himself_. But I'm Baron Liam Vanderschie of Emelan. I won't... I refuse to die here! _Then he noticed the a small peninsula heading their way in the world of ice. He could jump, couldn't he? It was the only way to survive._

_A smarter person would have went back into the ship and quickly gathered some small rations and clothing to help him in the icy world of the arctic, but Liam wasn't all that smart. With a running leap, scattering the few sailors not tied up, he jumped off the ship's ledge and over to the slippery peninsula. It didn't occur to him till he jumped that other men might have tried this before and that's how they ended up in their icy graves down below. But it was too late, and luckily for him he managed to get a grip on the ground below. He had made it. He heard some of the more foolish men follow him. None made it. _

_He set off into the white horizon of the arctic. The wind blowing snow into his unprotected face._

"If you scrub my back I'll scrub yours," Liam said, smiling wickedly. "I want Clover and my son, and you'll get dear Lady Sandrilene, plus something you didn't even know about." Liam sat back down onto the wing chair, crossing his legs, smirking confidently. Briar glared at him as he didn't want to...

_Two days later he was still walking around. Cold, hungry, and exhausted. He hadn't slept, because he was afraid he would never wake up. _

_Then he saw a warm yellow light on the horizon and around it the shapes of what was unmistakably men, even though they were so bedecked in furs that not even their own mothers would recognize them. Their faces were covered with fur scarves that muffled their voices and their eyes were covered by some weird green colored wraparound glasses. One of the men... a boy around fourteen, he noticed... danced around the fire to keep warm singing a song. As he got closer he realized it was a language he never heard before. Will they be able to help him?_

_"Help!" he called in a weak voice. They hadn't heard him, his throat was too sore from lack of use. "_Help_!" he called again, a little louder. Still no answer. "HELP!" he called, fearing he tore his voice box. The boy who had been dancing and singing turned at the sound of his voice and instantly stopped, rushing forward. The others turned to look where their strange companion was going, they too rushed forward at the sight of the bedraggled man in front of him. His clothes were nothing more then strips against his skin and it didn't take a genius to see he was close to the realm of death. _

_The men quickly wrapped some heated blankets around him and, after packing their things, set off into the snow. They led Liam into a small ice riddled cave, icicles hung down from he ceiling and ice crusted rocks sat everywhere, other then them it was devoid of life. _

_"We're early, but this is an emergency," came the gruff voice of someone from behind him. He turned his head and looked to see who talked, but since they were all dressed so alike and their mouths were covered it was impossible to tell who had spoken. _

_"Too bad we didn't get much meat," another commented. They were hunters? A village was nearby!? But all they did was led him to the back of the cave were a semi-transparent wall stood. One of the men pulled a small hammer out from his bag and knocked hard on the ice three times. Not even a minuscule crack appeared. Magic!_

_The wall pulled back and revealed two more similarly dressed people, this time female. "What's wrong Jake? Why are you so early?" The man... Jacob?... pushed the exposed Liam forward. The women gasped in shock and quickly pulled Liam and the men in. "Julie! Send a message for Gwen, we have a shipwreck survivor." Then they were in a beautiful city that seemed to be made out of the ice itself. Some of the buildings were even carved into the ice itself and they all glowed with a soft light. Above, through the cavern's ceiling he could see the beautiful glowing lights of the aurora. And in front of him hurried a young woman, a young woman with light brown hair pleated into two neat braids that hung carelessly down her back. A young woman with eyes the color of cornflower. She wore a simple white dress and head scarf, but he recognized her from the few times he had been at Emelan's court. Lady Sandrilene Fa Toren, favorite niece of His Grace and likely heir, and a powerful mage by all accounts. Clinging to her skirts were two identical girls, who were undoubtedly her daughters. Blue/green/gray eyes and the same colored hair as their mama swinging gracefully down their backs in tight curls. The two three-year-old wore light blue dresses that brought out the blue in their eyes. He had no doubt who the father was, _Briar Moss

_Lady Sandrilene hurried forward and pulled one of the boys into the hug. "Ah, Sandry!" he heard the boy complained and Liam recognized his voice as the one who had been singing and dancing around the fire and the one who had first reached him. Sandry ignored him and just unwrapped the scarves that covered his face from view. _

_Liam hated to admit it but the young lad was good looking. He was a whooping 5"6 at the age of fourteen. His thick light brown hair fell carelessly into his eyes that were as green as the most vibrant emerald. He had already lost most of his baby fat and his face was mostly unmarked except for the small scar below his right eyebrow. Liam imagined underneath the small mountain of warm furs he was as lean as he was tall. Despite the boy's protests he hugged the young mother back._

Oh, this is going to be good, I will finally get my place back in the world. _He thought as he was wrapped in more warm blankets and was led away from the small family _

_But not before she heard young Sandry mutter, "I'm glad you survived your first hunting trip, Joseph."_ Yes, this was going to be good.

Back in the present Liam still sat comfortably in the wing chair, dangling the end of one of his feet of his leg, waiting for Briar's response. He hoped Briar's answer was what he wanted him to be. But it wasn't.

Briar loved Sandry with all of his heart, but Clover... Clover was like a sister for him, they had a similar background when growing up, and she had appointed him as godfather to her only son. He couldn't betray her after all of this. Could he?

"Are you crazy?" Briar asked Liam in a cold calculating voice. "No, I refuse to give her up to you," he shot a glare over to the bedraggled man casually sitting in his chair, to say the least it sent cold clammy finger-like chills running up and down his spine. He began to cower from the malice in the younger man's face.

Suddenly remembering why he was here, why he was doing all this. For the son and wife he lost listening to his foolish parents. He stood up, back straight and erect. Calmly now he smoothed his ruffled, ragged clothing down. After all, what could one _young _man do?

"I'll give you a deadline, a year from this date I'll return to the place I found her..." he smirked, before continuing. "... and I'll kill her. Get in touch with me beforehand..." he gave Briar an uncaring shrug. ",,, and we'll see!" He began to leave the room.

Briar stood there in shock as he watched Liam leave. He heard his maid open the front door and let him out. He heard him walk over his stone walkway. When Briar was sure he was truly gone, he sent back into his large, comfy desk chair and cried... and cried... and cried.

"Briar?" someone asked him from the doorway. He looked up and over at the girl in the doorway through puffy red eyes. Daja. "What's wrong? I haven't seen you cry this way since..." _never_ he heard her unsaid word. It hung between them.

"He has her."

"Who has who?" she came and knelt down by him.

"Liam, Clover's ex-husband, has Sandry. Or at least where she is." Daja heard the pain in his voice and knew what he was going to say before he said it. "He said he's going to kill her unless we give Clover to him."

She shrugged. "Well, we can't give her up," Briar nodded in agreement. "So, we'll just have to find her before Liam gets back there." She paused in silence to think and let her words sink into her brother's shocked mind. "I think we need to pay a visit to our teachers." Smiling wickedly, Daja held her hand out to her old friend and foster brother. He took it and used it to get to his wobbly feet. Together the two friends left.

Hiya, hoped you liked it.

the next chapter is going to be Sandry's view when Liam arrives, six months previous, make sure you look hard for him and remember that she has no idea who he is.

**Chapter 9: Yin-Yin**


	9. YinYin

**Disclaimer:** i don't own Pierce's Circle of Magic series, but i do own any that aren't in her stories, like Allah, Aoorie, Gwen, Glacier, Merri, Joseph, and Cecila

**Things to know while reading: **

**1) **The Women Council runs the city and the head woman is also considered the ruler of Hope.

**2) **It adds a new member, by voting amoungst themselves, every five years, at the same time a woman is voted off

**3) **To be a member you must had given birth and raise a child

**4) **You had to have a least a tiny bit of magic in you

**5) **A maiden is someone who is pure of heart, mind, and soul, otherwise a virgin girl

**Purple Flowers & Blue Grass**

**Chapter Nine: Yin-Yin**

Six months previous: Sandry-

One woman stood in the middle of a group of twenty women. All wore white robes, unadorned. Their long hair, mostly black or varying shades of brown, were tied and braided loosly and then further tied behind scarves or kercheives. Their long white robes were hooded, currently the hoods were pulled up, covering their faces, hiding who they really were. This was the council of Women.

The Council stood in a large white room. It was lighted by candles that smelled vaguely of rosemary and mint. The floors were plain, not stained or carpeted. There was only one door that led from the room and it was currently locked and barred, to stop anyone from interupting the meeting. The women stood just inside the lines of a ward. The ward was placed there to protect them from a disease. A disease that ran just outside their door.

"Women of the council, you have been called here to discuss something important. A new disease that has never been seen is raging here, our young are in danger," Gwen's voice came from the woman in the middle. "No cure is known, it is up to us, the leading council of Hope, to reach a decision." murmers and whispers are traded amoung the women, fear obvious in their voice. Only one is quiet. "Don't you have anything to add, Sandrilene."

"I do ma'am, but it'll be better said if the others can hear it." Sandrilene said, as she stepped forward, drawing down her hood as was the custom. Her light brown hair was braided more neatly then any other, held in it's place by a plain white kercheif and by her thread magic. Instantly the others all became quiet. She was the youngest member, only added to their ranks the year before as old mistress Senile retired. And yet they respected her, because Gwen, their leader did, that and she was the most powerful mage in their ranks, trained by greats of the outside world.

Mostly Hope was cut off from the world, but even they knew who the greats of the world. Niko, Frostpine, Lark, and Rosethorn, her teachers, amoungst them. They had even heard of four young mages who could do near impossible things... Some of the more fanciful liked to believe she was a part of the legendary "Circle" quartet, but most believed the tales were naught but rumors and bad rumors at that.

"We have but three options if we wish for our people to live... first we could go to the Titans," a cry of outrage went up, even amoung the women there was a deep hatred for those barberic people, "they are known to have soemthing to cure anything. It's true we, meaning Kwaben, Oama, and I, when we came here brought a bit back,but the ingredents are yet unknown to even our greates mages. They might be reasonable to trade us something for it."

"Then again they might not." another woman said standing forward. She too brought down her hood. Unlike Snadry and the other women her hair wasn't braided and tied back by scarves of kercheifs, it was too short. Her black mane hung widly to her chin and was pulled half back by two barrets shaped like nigtngales, they were made by her ten-year-old son Tyson. She had a light brown eye color, that when caught in certain light seemed to flash a red. She was a half and inch taller then Sandry, but most people thought they were the same height.

"I agree Cecila. actually, but I wanted to know what the others think and to give them more options."

Cecila bent down and eyed Sandry blue eyes with her brown ones and whispered for only her to hear. "Why do I get the feeling that the other tow options are worse as then this one?"

Sandry shrugged and whispered back. "Depends on how you look at it.

"The second choice is to look for the magical sourse of Iveline's water." a hush settled over the women. No one had ever dared suggest such a thing. Sandry spoke of a source of life thier ancestors had written about all those years ago when Hope was first founded. The source of Iveline's water is said to be able to bring the dead back alive. It was more powerful then the Titan's "cure-all" medicine, because it _could_ cure all. Thousands of their people had tried to find it all before and no one ever could. And none of them ever returned. Most called it blasphemy to even speaqk of it, because it was no longer Iveline's water, but sometjing much worse. It was called _Le Desparte_. The Desperate.

Then a laugh broke out. "Think about it for a minute. The Ancestors found it when they were more then ready to cross over, no one ever found it again, because they never needed it, but we need it now. Iveline help us, we need it now."

"Even if we could find it we don't have enough men to send out looking for it and besides it could take an unnumbered amount of supplies to get it." Gwen groaned. "No it's too dangerous for now. What is your third idea Sandry?"

Sandry's eyes flickered over the cloaked faces of the other women, she knew there was shock there and fear what was the next suggestion, but they shouldn't fear it, it should be she who does. "My third, and final,"

"Thank Iveline." one of the women mutterd to another too low for Sandry to make out who.

"...is to send someone for the medical experts Rosethorn and Crane of Winding Circle, if they can't find what is in the Titan Cure then nobody can." It hurt her to say the names of two people she cared about and she knew it would hurt more if they decided to bring them here to see them and work with them, as undoubtly Gwehn will make her do, because she knew they would bring Briar to help and, undoubtly, others who think she's dead.

Everyone was in shock, they expected her to say something crazy, not something so... _sane_. But why did she sound so sad?

"Anyway, we shouldn't decide on this without talking to the Men's council (**A/N: like the women's council, but they're made of men and they don't have as much political power) **Sandrilene, since it was your ideas that will give our brians mush to chew on why don't you go to the exits and have Julie or Suzannah send someone out and find Jake."

Sandry shrugged and stepped out of the ward, not even disrupting its' magic because hers was programmed in. She unbarred the door and unlocked the locks and stepped outside. The white room was actually a cottage set behind Gwen's three story red brick house. It was covered by dense foliage and trees, most people of Hope never knew it existed. Heaven knows Sandry didn't till she was offered the position.

Sandry quickly made her way out of the foliage and into Gwen's backyard. She could hear children's laughter coming from the patio were all the women's children sat and played. She went over and stood in the doorway. Her two four-year-olds sat togethjer holding indentical dolls made of soft fabrics. Besides them sat Cecial's youngest child five-year-old Patrick. Her oldest son, Tyson, sat at a nearby table craving as he watched over them, Sandry was sad to say Allah got out of her biting phase and into a pushing one. He had his mother's balck hair and eyes. His hair was cut close to his head, but it still managed to stand up in tufts. He wore green cotton britches and a plain white cotton shirt. Merri, who was Tyson's age, sat in another chair nearby and watched over a different group of children as she worked on her weaving skills. Her blond hair was braided like Sandry's and her black eyes were so focused on her work she didn't see her "mother" and teacher come in. She wore a unadorned green dress. Along the walls stood girls in their mid- to late- teens as theyw atched the going ons of the children, ready to step in should there be trouble.

"Mama!" Aoorie screamed causing the other children to look up and laugh as the petite woman was thrown backwards by the even smaller form of her daughter. Alllah, who was being strangely queit and submissive today, came up and threw her arms around her mother's legs.

Allah and Aoorie were beautiful little girls and indentical to their button noses. They had their mother's light brown hair, freckles that were sprinkled over their noses and cheeks, and beautiful eyes that switched from blue to green and every shade in between. Today their eyes were a sofy ocean blue. They wore white dresses like their mother that had roses embroidered on the hem in different shades of blue. Their hair was curled in tight spring curls and allowed to hang freely down. Unlike their mother they had their father's skin shade, a soft creamy brown.

"Are you done? Can we go home?" they questioned her hopefully. They hated her meetings more then anything, they loved to spend time with their doting mother.

"Not quite yet, but I have to go visit Julie and Suzannah. Want to came?" like everyone else in Hope, her daughters loved visiting Julie and Suzannah, though Sandry would be hard pressed to find anyone her daughters _didn't_ like visiting.

"Yes!" like always they answered together.

Laughing she shrugged out of the hoaded cloak and tossed it over a chair that lay besides Merri, only then did she look up and smile at Sandry. "The girls and I are going for a walk. Watch that ok and make sure it doesn't get any child messes over it." Sandry shook her head, she had no idea why they wore white when they were all mothers and had children fromt he ages of one to eighteen who got into all sorts of messes.

She took one of her daughters' hands in each of her own and began to walk with them towards the entrance/exit. They made it down the crowed warm streets talking lightly of the girls' preschool classes at the school. Sandry made out the group of men before either of her daughters. She gribbed each hand ligthly and used the hand that was holding Aoorie's to point ahead. They saw them and knew as she did that it was Jake's group that had returned fromt he frozen tundra outside their protected wallls. The girls let out a happy shout, because a member of Jake's hunting squad was their all-time favorite male, and "brother", Joseph, and ran ahead of their mother. Sandry caught up with them in two bounding lopes and from thenon she ran only a step ahead of the girls.

When Sandry and her daughters reached the group she pulled one of them into a hug. Even through the large furs she could tell it was her foster son Joseph. "_Ah Sandry_," he moaned once before hugging the woman back. Letting go of Joseph she quickly and efficently unwrapped the fur scarves from around his face adn took the over large coat off of him.

She said, as one of the men, an exposed to the elements one, was wrapped in soft warmed blankets and was being led away, "I'm glad you made it back from your first hunting trip safetly, Joesph." She released him and her two little girls threw themselves at him much like they did when their mother first returned from the meeting. She stepped up to the largest man there, who was boardering a good 6"5. "Hail, Jake, the wonderous man who can read the minds of the greats," she joked, giving him a mock curtesty.

"If we were in Namorn, or another country like that, you would be hung for your imperitance." Like Sandry he was orignally from the outside world. He began to unwrap himself from the mountains of fur. First his hair became viewed, or what little their was of it. His hair line had resided quite nicely, but unlike most men he didn't try to hide it with a comb over. Tufts of black sprinkled heavily with gray stood from the sides of his head. Like his height suggested he was a big man, thick waisted, broad shouldered, and heavy, but he couldn't be considered fat by even the most pessimistic person. He wore brown breeches under the coats, furlines boots, and a brown shirt and tunic. He was Gwen's husband for the past forty odd years.

"Your telling me," she muttered remembering her misadventures in Namorn. He raised a salt-and-pepper eyebrow at her, but said nothing otherwise. Everyone had mostly gotten used to Sandry's sudden world-wide view adn mysterious hints of her past. "But I'm being completly serious Jake, you do have amazing abilities to be where your needed when your needed. I was just coming to send someone after you."

"Boys," he called back to the men who were slowly getting out of their furs, "take the meat to the cold houses, me and Sandry have some things to discuss." Some 'Ayes' of agreement were heard as they headed back the way Sandry came. "Go on, Sandrilene." he waved her on.

"Girls, stay nearby," she reminded her daughters unnesscarilly as Joseph was there and would keep them in line. "Days after you left a new disease sprung up, it hits the young, no, no... not my babies age, thank Iveline," she quickly told him when he glanced worridly back at the twins, he was their grandpa like Gwen was their grandma. "A little older, between the ages of six and nine. It eats at their senses, but it doesn't kill them. It just destroys their senses. Amasing really, never heard of suh a thing." she muttered to herself before continuing. "We women have been meeting nearly twenty-four/seven and we think we've come up with several ways that might help," quickly she told him about her three possibilities excluding that theyb were her ideas in her hurry.

"The first one, defiantly a no, because this disease is probably magical and I don't doubt from the Titans. Second one, Gwen had a good point we don't have enough people nor the time, not to mention, again, it might be the Titans hoping we'll do just that. The third, yes the third is a real possibilty. I had heard of Rosethorn and Crane the last time I was up and about fourteen years ago, found a cure for a disease called blue pox, correct?"

"Yes, it sprung out when I was ten and had almost literally jsut begun my mage training. I was a student at Winding Circle, I remember the fear and the urgency in everyone. Turns out it was caused by a penny-pinching woman." Sandry shook her head in disgust. "But is it really wise to bring strangers here?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Wasn't it your idea?" she nodded. "Yes, it might be a risk, but if we took a risk when we brought you in and when they brought me in.

"You had no choice!" she laughed. "What harm could a pregnant woman do after all? Allah, Aoorie, be good girls and fetch Mma her robe." the girls skipped ahead, Joseph a step behind.

They had reached Gwen's house, the other members of the Men's Council stood just beyond near the foliage waiting for their leader, Jake, already in their robes. "If you had been any other woman i wouldn't doubt a woman in labor could do anything, but you are you and you are a stange one. No they are our only hope." and he left her to change into his robes. Black as midnight, because unlike the women they wore black.

ooooooooooooooooo

"So we've all agreed?" Gwen asked the council some odd hours later. It was nearing dinner time, they had missed missed lunch and some of them hadn't even had breakfast. Everyone was tired and hungrey and glad they finally reached a deasion. "Who will go to fetch the tewo mages of Winding Circle?"

"I'll go," a certain petite woman offered stepping forward.

oooooooooooooooo

present time; Briar-

"How the _hell_ are we going to find her?" Evvy cursed from where she sat on Moonstream's desk. It was the middle of the night, a night just like the one where Sandry went missing. Dark and moonless. Everyone, meaning Briar, Daja, Rosethorn, Lark, Frostpine, Niko, Crane, Skyfire, Moonstream, and Evvy, was seated in various spots on the rather sparten office of the superior dedicate of Winding Circle. The walls were white washed like everyhting else here and the floors were bare. Because the deicates practised life without the use of most wordly goods the walls were bare and the few shelves that were here were covered with only books holding healing spells. The chairs that were brought in for the meeting were straight backed and uncomfortable. Most of them were crowded around the stone fireplace that was left of Moonstream's giant oak desk. The desk was covered in papers of all sorts and an inkwell with a quill still hanging haphazardly half-in, half-out. The room was lite by the fireplace and two of Tris and Daja's globes that hung on the walls.

Niko, Lark, Rosethorn, Frostpine, and Evvy sat in chairs around the fireplace, their backs to the room at large as they tried to warm up from their, walk or ride here. Evvy and Niko rode here as they both now had their own living arrangementts in the city. The others all walked. Briar and Daja had been here since they heard Liam's tale and no longer cared how cold the night was. Skyfire and Crane were... well, they were them and they were both heated up by the idea of someone threatning Sandry's life. It's true they weren't always her teacher, only at odd spots here and there, but they both cared dearly for her.

"But I wander why Sandry never came back." Niko murmered from his spot leaning forward and warming his hands.

"Amnesia?" Rosethorn growled. She had honestly felt Sandry was dead. Hell, she hoped Sandry had amnesia so she wouldn't have to hurt the girl.

"I'm more worried about what he meant when he said, 'plus something you didn't even know about'. What did he mean?" Moonstream muttered.

"We could sit here for hours discussing all the high points and low points of what Liam said, but the truth of the matter is, we have no idea whether or not Liam was telling the truth." Lark pointed out, now years later after Sandry's disapperance she was calmer about it, but still her memory left a soft tender spot on her. "He might or might not know where she is."

"We went over this hours ago Lark. It's true that we don't know, that's why we're thinking of ways to find her," Skyfire reminded the dedicate lightly, "Briar, you said you've had men looking out for her for years, correct?" he nodded from his spot in a chair before Moonstream's desk. He sat there looking like a school boy in trouble for putting his female classmate's ponytail in ink. "Since they never found her we can conclude she's in a hard to reach place."

"Or she doesn't want to be found," Evvy said to the room at large, picking up a samll glass paper weight adn tossing it from hand to hand. "Sandry _is_ know for her invisiblality spells. She _did_ make those veils that render someone invisible, correct? So, who are we to say she never made up a spell, like an illusion, that changes ones apperance. Your men could walked by her a thousand times over, _talked_ to her, and never have known it."

"_Evumeimei Dingzai_ you're not helping!" Rosethorn scolded, reaching back and clipping the girl on the top of her head with her fist.

"Nice theory Evvy, but there is one little hole in it." Briar said, taking the paper weight out of her hands and placing it were it belonged, on a small stack of papers.

"What?" she smrked, believing fully in herself and her theory.

"If Sandry could disguise herself however did Liam discover her and besides Daja, Tria, and I know Sandry's magic. Where ever she is, she isn't using it. Personally I think Rosethorn has it right.

"That's..." Daja started to interrupt, but was interrupted by sudden singing from Evvy.

"That's it!" she said, as she finished a verse and looked around at everyone who was staring at her in shock, like she had suddenly turned crazy, which in a way she had. "Do you remember the night sandryy disappeared?" everyone nodded. "Lark, Rosethorn, you know how you gave me that crazy punishment for leaving the market place, correct?" The two discpline dedicates nodded still dumbstruck. "Moonstream you walked in on me singing while I was waxing the floors."

"That song you were singing just now... it's the same one?"

"Yes, Sandry taught me and Glaki it It's a tale..."

"...about a woman who was beaten and killed by her husband." Moonstream finished for her. "...a woman who rose from the depths of the sea to protect her two children. And who swore since then to always protect a woman in trouble."

"Her name was Yin-Yin and she lived in Yoshimiro. Yoshimiro still has a shrine that only maiden's can enter that is said to host her spirit and is said to known the location of every woman or child in danger."

"We have Glaki, Glaki could go in and find out." Crane said. "We'll need to send another in with her though, it's to dangerous for her to go alone. Evvy?"

Embarresed she slid from the desk and paced to the only window that faced in the vague direction of Dicipline cottage. "I haven't... _technically_... been a maiden for a year."

"How about Sengal. That new novice at the water temples. Isn't she like sixteen and, more importantly, a mage." Lark said

"She'll work, I'll..." Moonstream had begun before being interuppted by a quick efficent knock on the door. Who would be knocking at the door to her office at thos hour? "Come in!" she called crossing her fingers under her desk that it wasn't another emergancy.

The thick, wide door opened slowly and in stepped a dark clothed woman. A very petite woman. "Excuse me, I was told I could find Rosethorn and Crane here." her voice carried lightly over the stunned group.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

I got this chapter out later then I planned, but at least i still got it out. this is seven pages, be proud of me. also i wrote this in one day. yah, me! (London moment)

please review


	10. At the Gods' Feet

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Circle of magic, Tamora Pierce does. **

**a/n: hiya, thanks for all the reviews. sorry for the long wait for the update, but i honestly have been busy. final exams and such and then babysitting my younger cousins who are evil. -- most of them anyway, Sammy is a sweetheart :)**

**Purple Flowers and Blue Grass **

**Chapter 10: At the Gods' Feet**

"How about Sengal. That new novice at the water temples. Isn't she sixteen and, more importantly, a mage?" Lark said

"She'll work, I'll..." Moonstream had begun before being interrupted by a quick efficient knock on the door. Who would be knocking at the door to her office at this late hour? "Come in!" she called crossing her fingers under her desk that it wasn't another emergency.

The thick, wide door opened slowly and in stepped a dark clothed woman. A very petite woman. "Excuse me, I was told I could find Rosethorn and Crane here." her voice carried lightly over the stunned group. Her light, lithe voice.

Instantly a tense silence filled the room and all of its' occupants. Briar was the first to break it. "_S-Sandry_?" From beneath her cloak the woman looked at him funnily. He had a cropped black curled hair and more importantly very familiar gray/green eyes. He couldn't be... _Could_ he?

"No, you must have me confused for someone else." the light, lithe voice came again from beneath the cloak. Slowly she drew her hood down, revealing a soft, kind looking face, enhanced by her short chin-length black mane of wild hair. Sandry's friend Cecila and fellow member of the Women's Council. "My name is Cecila. Was my guide right? Is Rosethorn and Crane here?" she looked around at the group, but was unable to pinpoint who they were.

"Um-hm." Crane said, pitying the girl and standing straight, while pulling Rosethorn up with him.

"I can get up myself, _thank-you very much_ Crane." she growled at the tall lanky man besides her, jerking her arm free of his grip.

_Sandry had said they argued, but I didn't believe it would be this bad, _Cecila thought, looking them up and down, while closing the door she had left open in case neither of them were here.

"Might I ask what it is that you want with my mages, Ms. Cecila?" Moonstream asked, motioning her down into the seat Briar had never sat in. Cecila sat gratefully, glad to rest her feet for a moment.

"I was sent by my country. We have recently been plagued by a strange disease that targets our children between the ages of six and nine. It's slow acting and not fatal."

"Then, why would you need us?" Rosethorn growled at her, reclaiming her seat as crane too begin to go back to his spot of leaning against the wall.

"What it does is far worse, or at least to us, it destroys their senses, hear, sight, taste, smell, all the things a human needs to survive." _especially my people,_she added silently. "We have what we may believe will cure it, but have a limited supply of it as we don't know the ingredients. So, I was sent to see if these two great mages would be kind enough to help us with deciphering it?" she spoke the last part to the two mages, ignoring everyone else in the room, because, at least according to Sandry, as long as they agree, Moonstream will as well. _By Gods, let her be right._

"I really wish we could be of... _Rosethorn_!" Crane had started only to be elbowed sharply in his side as the woman stood up and walked by him, stopping in front of Cecila.

"We would like the night to think about your proposal." it wasn't a question, but a statement.

"But of course," Cecila said smiling at the room at large. "I believe I'll go back to Summersea and the room I had rented." she stood up, curtsied to the room at large, and left the same was she came. Quick and efficient.

No one said anything till they knew for sure she was gone. "What was that about Rosethorn? You can't help her and save Sandry at the same time." Evvy scolded getting up from her seat and poking her head out the door to see if the mysterious woman was truly gone. "We have to go see YinYin, didn't we already decide that." Crane nodded in agreement from his spot on the wall. But everyone else was staring at Rosethorn in sudden understanding.

"Yes, we can." Briar said, in awe.

"Of course. We can visit YinYin on our way to her country." Rosethorn agreed.

"But Cecila didn't say where her country was, for all we know it might be to the south, while YinYin's temple is to the north." Crane argued back.

"It's in the North," Lark said, agreeing completely with Rosethorn. "Her clothes are made of thick, fine material perfect for Northern weather. I would say it would be around Namorn, maybe a little further north."

"What countries are further north?" Tris asked.

"No one truly knows." Niko answered. "They normally keep to themselves and trade with other countries by ship, but refuse to have further contact. Most countries don't care or not what they do as long as it doesn't harm them." he paused to think looking at all gathered there, "One of the countries are rumored to be hidden deep beneath the sea." No one could hold back the laughter that bubbled in their throats.

"To clear up any further confusion, Crane and I will ask to bring our apprentices, one Glaki and Sengal, and other mages," she gestured at the others and waved vaguely behind her in the direction of Summersea and Tris, "for our help. Briar is my assistance, we'll use Tris as our scribe like during the blue pox plague, Daja and Lark and Evvy as observers, or some silly thing."

"And what about me?" Frostpine asked from his spot close to the fire.

"If they bring to many people it would look suspicious, though I wish I could go as well." Skyfire supplied, saying something for the first time throughout the meeting.

"Then its' settled, you'll meet the little novice Sengal tomorrow in front of the east gates and head to Summersea to tell Tris your plans and then you'll go and give that Cecila girl your answer and requests in return. At the best you can hope for a week or two to prepare for the upcoming trip. " Moonstream mused out loud to the group.

Everyone agreed and then split up for the night. Crane and Skyfire heading into the western part of the temple grounds towards their respective dorms, air and fire. Briar, Daja, Evvy, and Niko heading for the visitors' dorms. Rosethorn and Lark headed back to Discipline cottage.

"But still... what was with her eyes when Briar confused her with Sandry? It was almost like she personally_ knew _who we were talking about? But it couldn't be." Moonstream murmured watching as they all went to their dorms for the what little remained of the night.

_**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**_

"There's no way he is..." Cecila thought to herself as she entered the small inn room she rented for her stay here when her ship had first docked here earlier in the day. It was plain and white-washed, the room only containing a bed, a nightstand for the water basin, and her trunk of clothes and magic supplies. Cecila had rested here for a few hours before getting up and trying to find her way to Winding Circle, after two hours of searching she found her way there with no help thanks to the citizens of Summersea she had asked along the way, and then it took several hours, even with the help of the dedicates, to track Rosethorn and Crane finally at the Supreme Dedicate's office in the Hub, a giant tower with a clock at the top. "...just because the eyes are similar..." she finally broke off her train of thoughts by shaking her head rapidly from side to side. Sighing she dropped onto the bed and stared at the blank ceiling missing her home, family, and friends. Especially her mischievous children. It had been months since she seen them and it would be more months till she saw them again. They just had to say yes and they just had to be out at see and on the way back to Hope before next week was over.

Sighing once again, not her normal bouncy self, she stood back up and went to the basin by the bed. To a normal person who walked by or looked in the window in the room, and woman, beyond, would have seen nothing strange, just a woman bending over the basin and washing her face. But to someone who could see or feel magic it would be plain as the nose on Cecila's face that it wasn't what she was doing.

Magic of a light white with a tinge of blue color. surrounded and covered, the water in the basin. Ice quickly formed along the edges and began to spread towards the middle. In a matter of seconds the whole bowl was ice. Cecila bent further close to the ice, making it look more like she was washing her face, but she muttered a spell and the white/blue magic once again gathered on the surface of the ice. Yellow, cotton-y, magic, green, flowery, and many other type of magics began to swirl along the basin as well, mixing with Cecila's magic. Shapes started to form from the colors and the room in Hope with the Women's Council came into view.

The women of the Council turned around and looked at the ice mirror that had been brought in when it had been decided who would go to fetch the two green mages. Gwen and Sandry both stood from where they sat quietly in a corner talking in chairs and looked expectantly at the woman. Everyone else soon followed them in suite.

"How goes the misson, Cecila?" Sandry called out, airily waving her fingers in greeting. Most of the women laughed lightly at the young woman's childish antics, while a few were disturbed at how she could act serious one second and so childish the next, because a moment before her and Gwen were talking about what to do if she failed. Sometimes they believed Sandry had split personalities.

"Fair enough." She bent closer to the ice and managed to keep her voice low. Though she was excited on the inside, no one was too sure that the communications would work with her being so far away, especially considering she would be in a relatively warm region and ice is hard to find. "I've meet with them and told them our predicament, about the medicine and all, but I wasn't able to speak with them alone. There was a group of mages around them, including the Supreme Dedicate Moonstream."

"I hope there isn't some kind of problem." Sandry muttered softly biting her tender bottom lip. Cecila could tell, even through the mirror of ice she created, that it had been bitten roughly into these past few hours, or days, as they waited fretfully for her to contact them. _If_ she could contact them. "If there is some sort of problem in Summersea, Emelan, as a whole, or separately, or, even worse, Winding Circle, they cannot come."

"I don't know if it was a problem, but they sure were discussing something, something," they obviously didn't want me to overhear." She watched Sandry out of the corner of her eye as she said this, but she looked nothing but relatively curious about what it was about. "They also, or a young man about your age, mistook me for someone else." at the mention of a young man it that was her age. She knew who her friend meant instantly.

_Briar!_ she growled his name in her head, barely able to keep the rage she felt hidden from her face. Instead she smiled softly at her friend and muttered, "Really? Interesting." a warning not to go further ringing in her voice. She wasn't ready, for anyone, not even with a close friend as Cecila was, to discuss her past. _Discuss the twins' _father_, mostly_, she admitted to herself.

Cecila heard the warning and decided to heed it, at least till she was back at home. She decided then and there it was time for Sandry to spill her guts about her past. If only to her.

"You lived in Summersea before, correct Sandry?" another woman from behind Sandry and Gwen asked. Even before she stepped into Cecila's line of vision knew who it was. Corrine Doyle. A woman who had been in the Council since it was first started almost sixties years before. For some odd reason she did not approve of Sandry, not because she was a single mother of two, but because she refused to reveal her past and was surprisingly strong in magic.

"Once upon a time," Sandry agreed after a moment or two of thought, her eyes clouding as she remembered all the fun times she had had with her friends while they were children and life hadn't been so complicated as it was now, as it was the day she had been taken by the Titans from her home.

"Maybe, you know who she's talking about," Corrine injected again, once again trying to pry information of her past of the much younger woman.

Sandry shrugged and nodded as if bored with the conversation, but both Gwen and Cecila noticed the sparkling look in her eyes as she secretly agreed with the gossipy woman. "It's possible, if he was trained at Winding Circle, but then again, I 've met alot of people in my young, deprived life." once again her blue eyes became clouded with the past as she thought of times so far gone even she had trouble recalling them. Her, her mother, her father, on ship after ship going to country after country. Then her parents deaths. She closed her eyes in remembrance, recalling their faces more clearly to her mind. And the promise she made to herself, and her girls, the first time she held them in her arms. _She would always be there..._

As Sandry was locked firmly into her own little world. The conversation around her continued. "...swer tomorrow." was what she heard when she opened her eyes and mind back to the present. "I'll contact you when they've given their answer."

"They'll bring others." Sandry called out, as everyone else nodded their heads in agreement.

"They can bring anyone they need," Gwen told Cecila. The magic wavered again and soon each group was looking at blank ice.

Sighing in relieve and wandering about her friend's past Cecila let the magic go and collapsed back onto her temporary bed. Soon she was in a deep sleep.

_**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**_

"How come I wasn't told sooner?" Tris demanded of her two oldest friends early the next morning as they explained what occurred the night before. They were in a small sitting room, done in light creams and whites, tapestries (SP?) of starlings, doves, and other birds and animals hung about the walls in between high stacked bookshelves tightly packed with all kinds of books. The new-born Lene lay comfortably sleeping on a soft blue blanket while her older brother, Dijon, and Clover's four-year-old son, Moline, were sitting on the floor nearby playing some made up game, ignoring the adults.

"Quite simple, really, you're still in a delicate condition," Briar teased stretching out his body on the only, cream colored, couch in the room. Daja and Tris sat in matching chairs opposite him, Tris mad and Daja as calm and cool as always.

Daja snorted from her seat before standing up and taking a tray of food and tea from the maid when she walked in the door, knowing full well how Tris would react when seeing her, as Keth had hired her behind her back and Tris didn't think "silly, foolish, maids can't don anything right the first time". Secretly Daja couldn't help but agree as the girl tripped and stumbled spilling half of the tea on the floor as Tris took her harsh glare from the one she called her brother to her "foolish" young maid.

"I'msorryI'm_sorry_," the young girl's apologizes ran together as both Briar and Daja helped her clean up her mess before either Dijon or Moline got up and decided to play catch the tea or some equally pointless game. Thankfully though none of the tea cups broke.

"It's OK," Briar reassured her taking the tray and the remainder of their tea off of her, earning a light blush from the girl. After the girl was gone, all returned to their previous positions. "Coppercurls, you believe in no matter how you look or feel you're never delicate.?Your wrong. Childbirth is an extremely difficult and taxing process. Thank the gods I'm a guy and will never have to go through the ordeal. But sadly you just did."

Both women turned towards their brother and glared, causing him to chuckle nervously at the sudden..._hateful_... attention of his friends. He shrugged nervously as if saying 'hey it's true' before getting up from his lounging position on the couch and dropping himself on the floor between Moline and Dijon as they drew squiggles in the still damp carpet where the maid had split the tea. "You boys like me, don't you?" he whispered to them, ruffling their hair. Both boys smiled brightly at him before shaking their heads and running, wobbling in Dijon's case, to the other side of the room to play some twisted version of hide-and-seek, which consisted of them taking turns hiding behind the couch and the other finding them and smacking that boy on the top of the head.

Briar sighed heavily before dragging himself back up and lounging back on the couch watching as the two women talked about their plans. Only paying attention when they brought up the children "Well, I can't leave those two with that husband of mine. Besides we don't have a wet nurse (a/n: for those who don't know what a wet nurse is, it's a woman who breast feeds a baby because for some reason the mother doesn't or couldn't do it herself. normally only nobles could afford them.)."

"And what's the problem of bringing them?" Briar asked, closing his eyes and falling into a half-slumber.

"Says the guy who just pointed out that I just gave birth a little less then a week ago." she grumbled. "But of course I'm bringing them, when we find Sandry I want to introduce them to her." _Because I don't know if she'll come back home, _she silently added to herself, blocking the thought from her two friends. "Briar just has to help me convince Keth that it's in our best interest to go."

Briar's reaction was just what she thought it would be. He sat up suddenly and looked at her like she was crazy, mouth open in shock. Convince Keth what? was written all over his face. But his sisters weren't paying any attention to him, as soon as he sat up they were laughing hysterically, the two boys soon joined in, and the new-born baby, Lene, gurgled from her spot on the floor.

"So, anyway, where are Rosethorn and Crane?" she asked when things calm down again. She looked between her two friends as they shared a secret smirk and a laugh.

For once it was Daja who answered. Before this Briar had taken control of the whole situation involving Sandry and her situation. "They're having a little talk with that Cecila girl and telling her _their _needs and wishes."

"Hopefully she's gullible." Briar agreed snorting and laying back down onto the couch. Tris raised an eyebrow at her friends, knowing they'll tell her whether she asked or not.

Daja gave a quick bark of laughter before explaining what they meant to Tris. "They're telling her that it's a custom for southern mages to go to YinYin's shrine to pray when traveling and that young maiden girls are needed to say their prays since men and older women aren't allowed in it."

Tris rolled her eyes as her friends laughed, as Lene fell into a peaceful slumber

_**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**_

On a warm Firesday day a week after the day the three friends meet and talked a single ship left the port of Summersea for northern waters. It didn't take them long to reach their first destination, they ere there within a week. The sun beat down hard on their heads as the ship, the Wanderer, pulled into the port of Yoshimiro, the town where YinYin was said to live.

Cecila sat in her room, finishing talking to the council, and resting up while those of the Summersea group began their journey to YinYin's shrine.

It was silently decided between them who would accompany them to the shrine. Obviously Crane and Rosethorn had to go so they didn't raise suspicions of their companion. Because they didn't want to be too big a group and cause unwanted attention from the locals, Daja and Lark volunteered to stay behind on the ship. Briar went for obvious reasons. And Tris stayed because she wanted more sleep, because she wasn't getting much of it because of a little somebody named Lene.

They slowly made their way through the gather large sized villages. Passing by house after house that managed to all look the same, they had the same two-story wooden structure and were all painted the same light blue. When Rosethorn asked a villager why all the houses were all painted the same color they told her it was because of the YinYin legend. Blue for the sea on a calm day.

After a ten minute short walk they reached the end of the village. And in another five minutes they stood in front of a stone shrine. Waves were carved in the stone. People with scales and fish with legs jumped free of the stone waves. And a beautiful woman stood above them all and protected them all. There was no doubt they were at YinYin's shrine and temple.

"State your name and business." a young voice rang out as two two girls of ten stepped out of the shrine dressed completely in white.

A girl wearing a similar dress to the two girls with her face hidden, stepped forth into their line of vision. "My name is Glaki and I and..." she paused her and pulled out another girl dressed like her out of her group. The girl's tremors were easily seen. It wasn't hard to tell she wasn't used to such strange stuff happening. "Sengal here have come to ask YinYin help in finding an old friend of ours whose life has been threatened lately."

"Only the young and pure may enter." the two ten-year-olds answered together.

"We are both pure and young." Glaki and Sengal answered together. Glaki sounding confident and Sengal a little wobbly.

"Then you may enter." they stepped to the side leaving the path open for the two older girls. "Draw down your hoods and bare your head." they called when both girls and stepped into the dark of the shrine. The two girls did what they were told, letting their dark black hair fall past their shoulders.

It was a dark and damp cave. The only light came from unknown sources. Rocks hung down from the ceiling and dripped water on the girl's bare heads and into the growing puddles of water that dotted the floor in various spots.

"_Ewe_..." Sengal moaned as her foot splashed into a deep puddle, soaking the bottom of her dress. Glaki rolled her eyes, she couldn't help it, Sengal was such a young and immature girl, even though they were the same age, Glaki felt like she was centuries older then her.

After ten minutes more of walking and several more feet dips into the deep puddles of sea water the two teenage girls reached a dead end, a cavern with a semi-large lake. "_Now_ what?" Sengal grumbled. "Do we turn back?" Glaki ignored her and stepped further in the cavern and to the edge of the lake. A strange magic like she never felt before seemed to radiate from within the depths of the mysterious lake. Glaki just shook her head in answer to Sengal's questions.

The mysterious power built up faster and faster. Sources of power erupted up and out of the lake in multi-colors. Sengal backed up three steps, pressing herself in between the wall and two rocks. Glaki just took a few more steps forward till her feet were in the water. The multi-colored magic gathered into one spot in the center of the lake, but more importantly it began to take shape. The shape of a woman.

Slowly the woman made up of the magic took on a more solid form. She had long blue hair that reached her ankles, her skin had a green hint, and her eyes were a feral red, the pupils yellow. She wore an orange and purple dress that ended mid-thigh. "There's something you need of me child." YinYin, for it was indeed YinYin, said questioningly at Glaki, ignoring Sengal in the corner.

"We need to find Sandrilene Fa Toren."

YinYin stepped closer to the edge of the water and placed one of her greenish hands on Glaki. "I know the one you speak of."

YinYin stepped back from her and back into the center of the lake. She raised her hands above her head and began to chant in a language unknown to both girls. when her chanting was done, on the surface of the lake appeared a sleeping form Glaki knew all too well. Sandry. "_At the feet of the Gods is were she lays_, _find her fast or forever she stays. The Hope of all is in her hands, at Iveline's feet she lays." _A burst of light later and the image of Sandry and YinYin were gone.

Glaki grabbed Sengal and the two hurried out the way they came in. Not noticing the magic flashed again in the room and the image of Sandry reappeared, with more of a look at where she was. Laying besides her on a king sized bed were two identical little girls, their curls mussed. It wasn't only Sandry who as in trouble...

_**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**_

the ending was a little weird and hurried. well anyway, I'm debating on something. should i do little pieces of the group's journey north to hope or just skip ahead to when they reach port? tell me what you want in your reviews, please.

REVIEW!!!!!! AND VOTE!!!!!!


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